


The Grandmaster Paradox

by AnnoyedSister



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games), Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Just an excuse to write for Frost, OOC, Out of Character, Praise Kink, Rare Pairings, Sexual Tension, Should this be explicit?? Or was mature enough?? Chile idk, Slight Femdom, Tags to be updated probs, Time Travel, Vaginal Sex, for my crackship, time travel is weird
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:22:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27189976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnoyedSister/pseuds/AnnoyedSister
Summary: When tasked with a time travel mission to murder her former mentor, will Frost execute it swiftly like she has always dreamed she would or will the equal footing with the fellow cryomancer prove to her just how wrong she's been in her judgement.
Relationships: Frost & Kuai Liang | Sub-Zero, Frost/Kuai Liang | Sub-Zero, Kuai Liang | Sub-Zero & Smoke, Past!Kuai Liang | Sub-Zero/Frost
Comments: 82
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HEY YA'LL here's a fic that won't be too long for one of my biggest crack ships. If you hate this ship please just go past and don't bother commenting on it. Ship and let ship as long as it isn't anything problematic
> 
> anyway this fic is for me and the 3 shippers of this ship that I know.

Frost couldn't quite tell how long it's been since she was recruited by the time-wielding Titan for her cause of restarting time in a better image.

Time seemed to flow differently in this keep where she waited and waited to be let on about what was going on and what part she would play in the great scheme of things.

No matter how much she inquired, all she was told was "Patience is a virtue." And that they'd all discover their purpose soon. 

There were moments where she second-guessed taking the Goddess's offer. Just seemed too good to be true.

Especially with the price she paid upon agreement.

Her body.

Wasn't some big tragic loss, she couldn't give less of a shit about her body and the supposed "temple" that it was, according to the old saying.

Urgh. Bullshit.

But with the state Kronika found her in… She didn't quite have the luxury of declining.

Frost was alone, lost, shattered by the banishment from the Lin Kuei, as much as she told herself that she didn't care about the exile. 

Couldn't even go back to her old cage fighting gig, and even if that was a possibility, she'd be too embarrassed to show her face there after her final fiasco. 

The arrogant cryomancer had hit rock bottom.

So in a way Kronika pulled her out of it.

There were mostly quiet, meaningless days at the Keep at first. 

Better than starving in the coldest parts of the earth, she decided.

But her only company were her vengeful thoughts and, occasionally, Kronika's guardian - Geras. 

Who, in all honesty, wasn't a very intriguing conversation partner. Apparently lack of soul and free will affects the quality of small talk.

Who would have known.

But now it seems the ancient God's plan has been set into motion… At least… Partially.

And that filled Frost with an irrationally giddy sense of anticipation.

Finally she'd see some action, see what her cybernetic body could do, when the full potential of it was unleashed.

She'd finally have revenge over that weak-willed, soft, pathetic excuse of a Grandmaster. 

One of those countless, damned days Frost laid in the small bed of the minimalistic chamber she was provided as a sort of bedroom. 

With her enhancements, she had lost the need for sleep, but could still simulate it, fortunately. Figuring that 24/7 consciousness with nothing but frigid anger on her mind wouldn't do her psyche any favours. 

She stared at the ceiling absently, tossing and catching an ice ball out of boredom.

That was one of her favourite and, frankly, only pass times in the Lin Kuei temple as well.

There never really was much to do besides training and meditation. 

But while she was there, she never complained. She… She was fond of it, really.

Frost rolled her eyes and tried not to dwell on it. Everytime she would, she'd just feel more bitter.

Just then, the soulless guardian entered through the chamber door, his comically vast frame barely fitting through it.

A ghost of an amused smile spread on Frost's face before she returned her attention to the ball of ice in her hands. 

"Kronika awaits, Frost."

The cryomancer discarded her makeshift toy.  
"Would you believe it, not even a hundred years passed." She said sarcastically.

Though it clearly went over Geras's head as he just moved away from the door, ready to escort Frost out of it.

She followed him out, walking a few paces behind him as she couldn't really navigate the Keep by herself. 

"Why does she want to see me?" She asked curiously.

"It is time for you to play your part in her battle for a perfect timeline." He said, solemnly.

Frost perked up at those news.

At this point she didn't know what she was most ecstatic about. 

Finally fulfilling a purpose? getting her revenge? Or just leaving this dreaded Keep.

All three. Yeah, that sounds good.

She caught up to Geras, wanting to get to Kronika as fast as possible now.

He led Frost to a metal gate beyond which the hum of the Hourglass could be heard. 

The gate opened for her and she stepped in unceremoniously. 

The Titan abandoned her work on the hourglass momentarily, smiling warmly at her ally.  
"Frost."

The cryomancer spared a small bow, with her fist on her chest.  
"You sought to see me."

"Indeed." The Goddess affirmed, twirling something… Seemingly a sort of compass, between her golden fingers. "There has been a change of plans."

Frost raised a brow. But suppressed an eye roll at the thought of never knowing there WAS a plan in the first place.

Kronika's heels finally hit the ground and she slowly stepped over to the blue-haired cryomancer, thoughtfully looking past her. 

"I have a very important and crucial mission for you…"

Frost responded with a quick but determined nod.   
"Anything."

"I need you to kill Sub-Zero…"

The cyber warrior stared up at Kronika, failing to keep laughter from escaping her lips.  
"Well that was already part of MY stipulation." She reminded. 

Kronika smiled and shook her head before walking back to the hourglass.  
"You misunderstand…"

Frost blinked a few times.  
"I do?"

"I don't need you to kill THIS Sub-Zero." Kronika started, showing a projection of the Lin Kuei grandmaster in the hourglass.

Frost's face contorting in anger merely at the sight of him. 

Kronika sighed, discarding the projection.  
"You see… in the timelines now gone… No matter how quickly we got rid of him, he had already done irreparable damage to my forces… I need this issue rooted."

Frost suspected where this was going but decided to ask anyway.  
"And where do I come in?"

"I'll send you to a time where… plucking him out won't cause any major changes in how things play out, but will save us further complications here. You'll get rid of him." 

That last sentence made Frost grin devilishly… But it quickly disappeared once realization hit her.  
"Wouldn't that undo me joining you?" 

"You are under my protection, therefore outside regular workings of time."

"Huh… Convenient."

"I take it you're ready to accomplish your mission?" Kronika asked. 

That certainly wasn't how Frost imagined the bastard's downfall… She wanted to kill the version that caused her all that pain and rage… Not a version that was none the wiser about it.

Well… It'll have to do. 

"Of course."

Kronika smiled, somewhat in relief.  
"Very well."

Frost gave the Titan an unsure nod, turning to leave.

"Going like that won't be ideal..." Kronika warned.

"Like what?"

"Cyberized."

The cryomancer's eyes widened as she looked down at her steel-plated body. 

Oh.

She didn't even think of that.

"So the cyberization was for nothing?!" Frost asked angrily. 

"As I said, your role has changed."

Frost gritted her teeth unnoticeably. 

Anger bubbled up within her. Did Kronika even know what she was doing?! 

"Can't say I'm content with that."

"Do not worry, turning back will be just as painless as the cyberization."

As fucking if.   
"For your sake, I hope you've thought this through."

"Have faith."

"You know my story, I don't do faith." She spat bitterly, crossing her arms. 

"You don't want that story repeated in the new timeline… Do you?" Kronika replied. The expression on her face stern, patience wearing thin. 

Was she threatening her?! 

Goddess of time? More like Goddess of gaslighting. 

Dumb old hag.

That's what Frost would have said out loud, if her future in the new timeline didn't lay entirely on the Titan's shoulders. 

"Are my orders clear, Frost?" Kronika asked coldly.

"... Crystal." The cryomancer mumbled. 

"Very well. Before I undo your modifications… have this."

The Goddess handed Frost the compass she was fidgeting with.

Frost eyed the dime-sized object on a chain.  
"What is this for?"

"Where… or rather WHEN I'm sending you, the Lin Kuei temple was still located in China, once the compass is on you, you'll have photographic memory of the temple grounds. Every crevice, every hidden cave, it'll all be ingrained in you. It'll help you find your target… And eliminate him."

Frost nodded.  
"Useful."

Kronika stepped back and summoned a handful of the time sand, amplifying the glow of her hands as she aimed them towards the cryomancer.  
"Good luck, Frost. And remember… You can not fail."

Talk about no pressure.

Frost shut her eyes tightly as blinding light and a sandstorm enveloped her. 

She came to, in a foreign environment. The first thing she processed was sunlight flooding through dense treetops. 

The woman tried to peel her sore body off the forest floor, quite unsuccessfully, immediately plopping back down.  
"Fucking hell…" She wheezed out in pain.

She exhaled shakily and rolled from one side to another with a loud groan.

Frost felt like her head was connected to her body by a single thread. A frail, torn one at it.

Gathering all her might, she sat up, every single muscle stinging.   
"...Ow…" 

She placed a trembling palm on the back of her slender neck, kneading the flesh, trying to get circulation going.

This felt extremely weird… She had forgotten just how soft her skin always was. Soft, fragile, freckled skin. 

Fragile…

Weak…

Imperfect…

Disgusting. 

Just when she had gotten used to the shards of metal that replaced her flesh. 

The feeling of air on her already frostbitten body was quite unpleasant now.

Wait… Air on her skin?

Her eyes widened upon realization.   
"Oh shit!"  
She jumped to her feet that nearly gave out, but the shock kept her up.

She was fucking NAKED.

"Fucking bitch, couldn't summon these on me?!" She thought to herself as she picked up Kronika's armor that laid nearby. 

She dusted herself off after ending the exhibitionism. 

"What now..?" Frost whispered, looking around.

Seemed like the middle of nowhere. 

China was a pretty vague approximation. 

She clutched Kronika's compass in her palm tightly, feeling each track and direction in the forest, towards the well hidden Lin Kuei castle. Like glowing veins under the ground.

Woah… That's an overwhelming amount of information.

Memorizing the location of the Lin Kuei hide-out, she let go of the amulet.

Frost sat down on a nearby tree trunk, resting her head in her palm.

She needed a plan.

She can't just… Waltz in there and kill him. 

Too risky, she wouldn't want to be surrounded, killed, doomed to retry this mission over and over again.

Besides… how satisfying would that kill be? 

He'd simply be murdered by a stranger and would rot in Netherrealm for all eternity.

Lame. 

What's more like her?

What screams overcomplicated revenge plot?

She could fight her way into the current Lin Kuei… Show just how much of a superior fighter she was… and THEN get the show on the road.

What? She was forced into this mission… Might as well have fun with it.

Overkill? Yeah, maybe. But Frost didn't care.

She always wondered what the old Lin Kuei was like, anyway. Didn't necessarily want to be a PART of it before but… The drastically different guidelines of how clan members were chosen made her want to break that system even more. 

Besides, the old Lin Kuei constantly went on assassination missions. The Lin Kuei Sub-Zero led never got to do shit like that.

Restoring honor and all that. Blah, blah, blah.

That settled it. She'd join the clan and complete her mission from within.

Determined, she jumped up from her seated position, immediately feeling dizzy and falling to her knees.

Okay… Maybe get used to the human body again before that.

She groaned and massaged her neck with more vigour, feeling like there was a pile of cement in and on top of it. 

Begrudgingly, she performed some warm up exercises the grand-bastard taught her during training.

She'd be lying if she said they didn't remove the pain like magic. 

The female cryomancer didn't think she'd be admitting that any good came from her former mentor but here she was… Or rather future, former mentor… Or former future-- doesn't matter. 

The pain subdued, but there was a certain numbness in her limbs and a slight tremble in her hands. Maybe that would disappear shortly. She sure hoped so.

"Alright, Frost." She told herself. "Let's get this over with."

The trail to the Lin Kuei hide-out memorized, she did her best to cross the dangerous and uneven forest environment. 

The woman much preferred the Arctic to this humid hellhole.  
"Urgh, fuck this." She whispered angrily after tripping over a half buried branch in the mud, barely keeping herself standing. "Join my army, she said. You'll get to lead the Lin Kuei in the new timeline, she said." Frost whined as she climbed over a rock wall.

In the back of her mind, she told herself to quit complaining. But her abrasive and impulsive nature kept dominating her mindset.

"You're strong, Frost… But you lack patience."  
The grandmaster always told her.

Frost gritted her teeth at the memory, vivid, as if he was right behind her saying it. 

Oh, she's gonna be patient alright. Patient before she kills him. 

Reaching a crossroad, she stopped to check the all-knowing amulet. 

Just then, the trees rustled and out stepped a warrior with the Lin Kuei symbol etched on his tunic.  
"Who goes here?" The stranger asked.

Good news, she's close to the temple.

Bad news, the Lin Kuei never took kindly to intruders.

Frost made sure it was indeed a stranger under that mask and not, well… Her target.

Without further questioning, the clan member lunged at her. 

She dodged the warrior's first few jabs, but got cut by the tip of his dagger.

Frost hissed in pain but recovered quickly, freezing the ground below him with an angry growl.

The attacker stumbled on the slippery ice and that gave her an opening for an offensive move of her own.

Her sore body didn't allow for anything too complicated just yet but she managed to land a few practiced punches on his solar plexus and just above his collar and when he hurried to deflect those, she hit him with a quick sweep. 

Before he could fall she summoned an ice staff in her hand and caught his neck with it.

The woman delivered a kick to his back that flung him forward, breaking the staff and knocking him out for good. 

Frost sighed, unimpressed, wiping the blood off her neck where he caught her.  
"Alright, champ, you're gonna help me negotiate with your superiors." She told the unconscious body as she dragged it along the trail.

Thank goodness, the temple was mere steps away, she couldn't have carried the bait any longer with her sore arm.

She was immediately swarmed by the gatekeepers of the Lin Kuei hideout.   
"Halt!" They ordered.

Frost wasn't nervous. She has fought several Lin Kuei at once during her torturous training sessions before.

And as much as she hated it and the unfairness of being the only one having to go through such a complicated regimen, she was somewhat grateful to be ready for this moment.

Besides, she doubted that these Lin Kuei trainees were any better than the ones Kuai Liang recruited. 

She dropped the warrior like dead weight in front of them. Seeing their defeated peer was enough to convince them that she was foe, not friend. 

They charged at her, each aiming for a different weak spot, but their efforts were quite fruitless.

Frost didn't bother even half as much as she did with the previous challenger, knocking them back with sheets of ice, freezing them to the gate, quickly immobilising them.

"Pathetic." She whispered, even less impressed than before.

The sounds of struggle from the gatekeepers caused commotion on the temple grounds already.

She grabbed the man from before by the neck again and dragged him into the courtyard.

The small crowd that had gathered inside did not dare approach her. Both from the sight of their defeated comrade in her grip and the ongoing groans of the men trying to peel themselves off the gate. 

An older man she presumed to be the current Grandmaster, from his unique, flashier attire, stood amongst the warriors with an indifferent expression on his face. Contrasting the curiosity of his subordinates. 

Frost did her best to perform the Lin Kuei bow with one hand busy holding her hostage.   
"Grandmaster." She addressed.

A hint of amusement flashed in the superior's eyes. 

Ideally, no one outside of the Lin Kuei itself should know the proper greeting.

And yet she did. 

"Who are you? And what do you want?" The man asked directly.

"I want to be a part of this clan." She announced with a smirk.

Mocking laughter erupted amongst the crowd.

Frost furrowed her brows. She was ten times the fighter those clowns would ever be and yet they laughed… 

Focus, she told herself. Most of these imbeciles die a laughable, pathetic death anyway. 

"Silly woman. I think you are lost." The grandmaster said pitifully.

The referral to her gender made her blood boil. 

That's what you get during a mission in a time when most clans of assassins consist of a bunch of chauvinistic cunts. 

She dropped the unconscious body of the brave soul that fought her in front of the laughing crowd.  
"Maybe we can ask him if I'm lost."

That settled a dead silence.

But the Leader still didn't look intimidated.  
"You seem to know a suspicious amount about this clan… Do you know how one becomes a part of it?" 

"Taken as a child."   
She knew that, that's easy.

The old man smirked.  
"Exactly. Now scram while I'm feeling merciful."

"But who said I care about your guidelines?" Frost asked. "I'm a better fighter than most men here… And I'm using the term "men" loosely." She insulted louder for the crowd to hear, before lightly kicking the warrior she fought earlier. "And here's the proof. The fighting abilities are what matters, aren't they?"

"My men don't just have any fighting abilities, child… The best have extraordinary gifts from birth... Is there anything that sets you apart? Except what's between your legs?" He disrespected, eliciting laughter amongst the clan members once again.

Ooh, Frost wanted nothing more than to freeze the old bastard's head off and shatter it on the ground.

But, alas, she couldn't do that.

She had no idea how that would fuck up Kronika's plan but it definitely would.

Although… She could allow herself a non-lethal demonstration.

She shot a beam of ice from her hand, an inch to the left and the Grandmaster would have been an ice statue. 

Once again, that did the trick and silenced the mocking crowd. 

The elder warrior's eyes widened as he stared at the aftermath of her blast, a long frozen trail on the ground. 

"Another..? But-- this can't be…"

Frost rolled her eyes.

She forgot cryomancers were supposed to be extinct, save for the two brothers. 

God, this mission sucked.

"A-Alright… I'll humor you."

"Father, you can't be serious." The warrior next to him complained.

Ah, Sektor.

He had more of a punchable face than she always thought. 

"At ease, Sektor… I'll test her might… Have her fight a worthy opponent. Who knows? If she can defeat my best apprentices, maybe she deserves to be among them.."

That decision pleased Frost. All she has to do is best one of these dime a dozen placeholders?

Piece of cake.

"Sifu, please, how can you even consider female Lin Kuei? Let me end this madness. I will show this pretender her place

Urgh. Bi Han. The current Sub-Zero. Being burned to a crisp served his inflated ego well.

The grandmaster shook his head and dismissed the man, and searched the crowd with an indecisive, narrowed gaze.   
"Your opponent will be…Tundra."

Tundra… But that's--

Her stomach turned as her future former mentor stepped forward, bowing before his superior. Kuai Liang turned to her, that determined look on his half covered face that she always despised.

The Grandmaster smirked at her fearful expression.  
"Let your test begin."

...What the fuck has she gotten herself into?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i wrote 2 chapters at once cuz i decided i hate starting a work with just one chapter

Frost's hands trembled and she couldn't tell if it was from the still sore muscles of her restored body… or from the idea of fighting Kuai Liang to prove herself.

Whenever they trained one on one, nine times out of ten she would lose. No matter how offensive or defensive she was, he always read her perfectly and it frustrated her to no end.

He, of course, blamed her impatience and impulsiveness.

Frost balled her hands into fists, ready to face him, after all this time.

She reminded herself that she wasn't fighting her grandmaster. The wise, experienced warrior. This was just another clansman. Hell, by the looks of it, they were the same age.

This would be an easy win. She got this.

The unconscious guard she fought earlier was dragged away to give Frost and Tundra space for sparring.

The rest of the men gathered around in a circle, ready to witness this.

With the smug smirks on their faces, Frost assumed their bets were on Kuai Liang.

Think about the positives, she told herself. You could be fighting Bi Han, who would have surely chopped your head off if he was victorious.

But not Kuai Liang… no, she knew he was always too soft for that. 

Spineless.

"Tundra." The grandmaster addressed.

Kuai Liang looked back at his superior. 

"Do not hold back."

Given the green light to use his cryomancy to its full extent, he faced his opponent once again, taking a fighting stance. 

She mirrored it, getting an intense feeling of deja vu from being in this position with him again.

Something about it… Enthralled her. Like she has missed it.

Eh, it was probably the anticipation of kicking his ass. 

"Fight!" The grandmaster ordered.

Right off the bat, Kuai Liang launched an ice ball at her.

Same old moves, huh, Sub-Zero? She thought to herself.

Though it was his staple, the ice balls from the Lin Kuei Grandmaster she knew were more controlled and stable. He must have mastered them in the future.

She deflected it upwards with a sheet of ice, not before feeling the burning cold of it on the already sensitive nerve endings of her palm. 

She summoned a set of six ice kunais, more than half hitting him in the chest, knocking him back just a bit.

His eyes widened at her advanced attacks. 

She smirked internally. It would be peak irony if she defeated him with moves he would have taught her in the future.

Kuai Liang lunged at her, opting for hand to hand combat, his forearms glowing a faint blue, his powers adding a painful, cold sting to his punches.

Despite it being his younger self, he was still a master combatant and she was struggling against him up close like that. 

She managed to block a decent amount of his attacks, landing a few blows of her own. 

He quickly formed an ice sword in his hand, swinging it at her. 

Again, lackluster, compared to the intricate ice axes he could manifest on cue in the future.

She raised a wall of ice in front of herself, the sword stabbing it and getting stuck.

Frost punched right through it and hit him square in the face.

Not a very trained or clean move, something from her cage fighting arsenal but damn was it effective.

Knocking him back four paces, sending the mask flying off his face.

The azure-haired cryomancer snuck a good look at him. 

She wanted to chuckle, but how would THAT look during a fight. That was uncanny. Lack of the thick jet black beard and glaring scar across his eye made him somewhat unrecognisable. But he did have the same handsome features.

Frost didn't dwell on her mind's wording of his looks as she summoned an ice dagger and charged at him with it. 

The man caught her arm in his freezing hand and she hissed in pain.

He twisted it behind her back and kicked her away.

She hit the ground, air knocked out of her.

The pain radiated all through her limbs and she blamed it on the transition back to her human body still.

Frost recovered quickly, despite the pain and eyed Kuai Liang, hoping that her hateful glare would just burn through him. 

She shifted her attention to his unstable stance.

That's it. That was her chance.

She blasted the ground below him, freezing him to it.

And while he struggled to break free she delivered a roundhouse kick to his solar plexus, knocking him down. For good, it seemed.

Before he could even try and get up she strutted over and pushed him back down with one leg on his chest.

Frost couldn't keep herself from smirking proudly.

Not so high and mighty now, are you, Sub-Zero. 

She could have easily finished her mission right then and there. Crush him under her heel like she has always wanted and flee back to her time but…

...Decided not to.

A part of her wanted to see how far she could take this. 

She relished in this triumphant feeling of having him stare up at her fearfully, completely under her mercy, for a moment longer before removing her leg and reaching her hand down for him to take. 

He looked on with suspicion before taking it, begrudgingly. 

Frost helped the male cryomancer back up before pushing past him and addressing the grandmaster.

"I have completed your task! I've beat your best. Now you honor your word." She said cockily.

The old man sighed.  
"Very well."

Murmurs of protest rang through the crowd of clansmen. 

"Silence! She has proven her worth… But your contribution to this clan better be valuable."

Frost smiled gladly, bowing before the Grandmaster. 

"What is your name, child."

"Frost."

"I welcome you into the Lin Kuei, Frost."

~~~

Later that day, Frost found herself in the training hall of the temple.

The clansmen deliberately avoided her, whether intimidated or just bitter and spiteful, she didn’t know. 

Nor did she care, so far, she was having a blast.

She felt feared. Her blatant superiority as a fighter did wonders for her ego. 

All she had to do now was kill Kuai Liang.

Wouldn't be much of a chore but she'd take her sweet time with it.

Distracted with training, she didn’t notice the small crowd that gathered behind her, observing her warm up. 

Frost turned to them, quietly panting.

“What are you looking at?” She asked, brows furrowed.

The group dispersed, no longer witnessing the “show”.

She rolled her eyes and left the training room. The cryomancer didn’t expect trained assassins to be so immature.

With the help of Kronika’s provided amulet, she navigated the Lin Kuei hide-out. It was definitely bigger than the one in the Arctic. 

But it did accommodate more people so it worked out. 

Twirling the amulet between her slender fingers, she found her way to the dining area. 

The crowded room went dead quiet once she entered. 

That was coincidentally her debut in the Lin Kuei uniform.

She was surprised they even had one that fit her comfortably. Hugged her curves even.

Frost was by no means skinny. She was moderately muscular and lean for a woman her height. 

But regardless, most of the other Lin Kuei warriors were twice her size. 

The attention of the gathered lot didn't bother her. Though she’d prefer if the pretentious fucks dealt with having a woman amongst them sooner, rather than later. 

While some of the clansmen still looked on with dismay, hatred and distrust, others seemed to have moved on from their prejudice and were eyeing her curves instead. 

She didn’t know which was worse. Urgh… Men are so predictable.

Frost walked past them towards crates and tables of food, leaning against one of them after fetching an apple from a plentiful basket. 

Her peers carried on with their conversations, finally leaving her be.

Though she could still feel one particular gaze on her.

She met Kuai Liang's icy glare with her own from the furthest corner of the hall

Damn, he looked bitter.

She had to admit she didn't expect him to be such a sore loser.

After all he was the embodiment of emotional stability. 

Pfft, as fucking if.

She hid her smirk behind a bite of the juicy apple, averting her glance from him.

The blue-haired woman ate her fruit, eyes on ths amulet hanging from her neck.

Next time she looked up, the younger version of her future...former...mentor --Gods, that was complicated-- was right in front of her.

She shifted her weight from one leg to another, facing him.  
"Here for a rematch?" She asked cockily.

He crossed his arms.  
"No. I saw enough during our earlier spar."

Frost smirked.  
"Is that so..." She asked, taking another bite of her apple. "What's the consensus?"

"The fact that I lost was my fault entirely, you noticed my mistake, that was the bare minimum…”

She rolled her eyes. Can he get that stick out of his ass?

“But it still could not leave me alone how someone like you could best me, in any scenario…"

That caught her off guard.  
"Someone like me as in... a woman?"

That's it, she's killing him right then and there.

"No… Someone like you as in a person with muscle atrophy." 

His eyes pointed at her trembling hand holding the apple as if it weighed 4 tons. 

Frost exhaled shakily and put the fruit aside, balling her hands into fists as she crossed her arms.   
"It's… It's nothing."

"Nerve damage?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"It's none of your business." She added impatiently.

Even this version of him was patronising her, for fuck's sake.

He raised his hands defensively before leaning on the same table as her, right by her.

Frost pouted and tried to look away, but her gaze lingered on him. It was crazy seeing him so… young. 

A part of her always thought he just spawned like that, wise and solemn, existing only to annoy her. As silly as that was. But here’s living proof that he too was once someone’s inferior. 

"When did you discover it?" He asked.

She blinked a few times, snapping out of her thoughts.  
"Hm?"

"Your gift…" 

Oh. The cryomancy. 

She clicked her tongue.  
"Like you, I've always had it."

He raised a brow.  
"How do you know I've always had it."

"Because it's hereditary." She mentioned, as if saying something obvious.

Kuai Liang didn't know much about his powers. Hell, neither did Bi Han. 

They were in a deadend about their origins.

So to now discover someone else had the exact same powers. And was so sure of a detail even he questioned… It made him curious.

"What else can you say about it, Frost." He inquired.

Her eyes met his.  
"Wouldn't you want to know, Tundra." 

She grabbed her apple and stepped off towards the exit of the vast dining hall. 

Kuai felt inclined to follow. 

Once out of the loud, crowded area he pursued her down the long, moonlit corridor, towards the west wing of the Lin Kuei palace. 

"I'm asking a simple question." He insisted.

"What makes you think I have the answers you want?" 

She walked faster to try and get away from him.

Gods, was he always this stubborn?

"Wait." He said, grabbing her arm.  
"Alright… Do you or do you not know anything else about it?"

Frost shook her hand out of his grasp before sighing.  
"Consider me as clueless as you are. All I know is that it's hereditary." She said convincingly.

Still, he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.  
“You’re a good liar, woman, I’ll give you that.” 

She smirked. This wasn’t the first time she has failed to deceive the man.  
“How about this… I’m convinced none of those pseudo-warriors will have the balls to spar with me. And there’s only so much I can do against a wooden dummy. For every fight you win against me in training, I’ll answer a question about our powers.”

That wouldn’t screw with the timeline… right?

He smiled.  
“Alright.” 

He gave her a small respectful bow.

Oooh, she could get used to that.

She reciprocated it before continuing on her way.  
“I’ll see you later, Su--.. Tundra.”

“Have a good night, Frost.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoooo so I got some love for this fic and I definitely didn't expect it! I'm glad to find the like minded individuals here who thought of all the potential these two could have :P excuse the plot holes pls time travel and MK lore are a MESS.

Frost had gotten used to the lack of basic human needs, so much so, that even when exhaustion from the vigorous training kicked in, she found herself unable to fall asleep. 

It was torture. She was so tired and yet her stupid body just wouldn't shut down. 

The tremors she had after restoration had thankfully subdued in the span of the 3 days that she spent so far in the past.

But her limbs went numb whenever she laid down, felt like a thousand needles were poking them. 

Urgh, what possessed her to attempt this dumb, self-indulgent plan?

Ah, yeah… Sweet revenge.

"Won't be so sweet when your hands fall off, you stupid bitch." She told herself.

The cryomancer yanked the pillow from under her head covering her face with it desperately, as she prayed for some shut eye, to whichever god out of the unnecessary bunch would listen. 

Just when Frost thought she was shown mercy by some deity above and would get some much needed slumber, there was a knock on her chamber door. 

She threw the pillow aside.  
"God fucking damn it." 

Someone's getting their head frozen to a column. 

Frost basically crawled from under the blanket, balancing on the wall to not fall face first on the hard wooden floor. 

She gave herself a minute to adjust, making sure she could walk, when a more insistent knock came from the door. 

The woman didn't bother to throw anything over her undershirt and panties. She supposed no exhibitionism was enough. 

Frost opened the door and knowing her legs could give out any second, leaned against its frame for support, before coming face to face with the intruder.

She bottled up the anger of seeing Kuai Liang first thing in the morning. Not exactly the ideal start of the day. 

"Good morning." He told her with a polite bow, making sure to keep his gaze above her neck.

She looked past him and into the windowless corridor of the Lin Kuei temple bedroom wing, barely illuminated by any sunlight.

"Hardly." She mumbled. 

Kuai Liang cleared his throat.  
"My apologies. This is usually when I wake up."

The corner of her mouth curved into a smirk. That's something he and old-man-him shared.  
"Not surprised. Can I… help you?"

The man blinked a few times. He assumed she realized why he was there.   
"Would you like to spar? The training hall isn't crowded at this time."

Right. Their deal. She forgot about it in the past two days.   
"Figured as much. Alright, I'll be right there." She said through the pain of having to do ANYTHING at this hour, let alone spar, after zero sleep. "Just give me a minute."

"Of course."

Frost nodded at him and stepped away from the door and was about to pull her undershirt over her head when she realized he was just standing there waiting for her.  
"A minute… Alone." She whispered, stopping herself midway through removing her shirt. 

The male cryomancer blinked a few times.  
"Oh- Right- I'm sorry." He blurted out before disappearing down the corridor. 

Frost rolled her eyes as she changed into the Lin Kuei uniform.

She couldn't hold that against him. At this point in his life he had encountered how many women?

She was quite certain the answer was zero. With the lack of female warriors in the clan and having been in it since infancy. 

But if older him had tact and… somewhat better social cues, this Kuai Liang, from what she's seen so far, seemed like an awkward child despite being well into adulthood already. 

The female cryomancer decided not to dwell on that deadman. 

She fastened a blue belt around the similarly colored tunic with the Lin Kuei emblem on it. All of that over a simple skin tight bodysuit. And that pretty much finished up her preparations. The final touch being a solid mask covering a good half of her face, to protect it from quick jabs and punches. 

Frost made her way out of her chamber and towards Kuai Liang who was waiting by the double doors of the bedroom wing. 

"You seem ready." He pointed out.

"I AM ready." 

He responded with a quick nod.  
"After you."

They walked to the training hall in silence until he felt the need to break it. 

"You know… I really am determined to find out more about my origins."

She chuckled. "Don't get so hopeful so soon, you'll have to beat me first."

"Won't be much of a problem."

Frost stopped in her tracks and side-eyed him.  
"It sure seemed like one 3 days ago."

Kuai Liang smirked.  
"You won't have the luxury of me misstepping again."

"Implying that I only won because of your pathetic misstep." She shot back.

"Of course you did." He replied nonchalantly.

She crossed her arms and clicked her tongue at him.

He sure is cocky...

Where was this energy when he lectured her on humility in the future. 

Hypocritical bastard.

They reached the vast training area and Frost immediately stepped onto a nearby mat, not wanting to further postpone kicking his ass.   
"You talk a lot, Tundra, an irritating amount. Let's see if you'll back it up." She challenged.

"Very well." He accepted, stepping up opposite her. "First to hit the ground loses."

He motioned for her to make the first move and she wasn't going to say no to that opportunity. 

Frost summoned shards of ice in each hand, solid blocks between her slender digits, forming brass knuckles around them. 

She lunged at him and landed a few trained punches, knocking him back a few paces.

And as he successfully caught one hand and twisted it back painfully, she winced and reformed the ice in her other palm into a dagger, slicing at his face. 

Kuai didn't block it, he needed a free hand. The mask would deal with it.

He raised an ice wall behind them and delivered a blow to her gut, knocking her back against said wall. 

At his will the ice shifted around her palms, pinning her to it. 

His ice was less brittle than hers, tough like diamonds.

Realizing she wouldn't be able to free her hands before he could land a second kick,   
she opted to jump over it, legs now above her head, focusing all her core strength to keep herself up like that for a few seconds.

Kuai Liang's kick hit the wall instead, shattering it, therefore Frost's bonds too.

She pushed against his shoulders with her now free hands and launched herself away, landing on one knee in a safe distance from him.

Frost smirked through her heavy breaths.  
"No more missteps, huh?"

He really was no grandmaster yet… 

The man gritted his teeth and brought the fight to close quarters once again. Up close like that he had his advantages. The sheer difference in their size and overall strength.

Frost did her best to counter him, opting for low blows and sly maneuvers like tripping him and kicking the side of his knee. 

But he simply refused to go down. In the end, someone had to, and with a shove of his frozen palm he made her lose balance and land on her back, a loud painful hiss escaping her.

She lost. She fucking LOST. Even to THIS sorry excuse of a warrior version of him!

Kuai Liang removed his mask, a satisfied grin on his face.

Frost looked away, not wanting to witness his smugness a second longer.

He approached and reached his hand out for her to take.

Which she promptly disregarded, getting up on her own.

The man ignored her rude dismissal.  
"You are an impressive fighter, Frost, there's much I could learn from you in terms of our powers."

Admittedly buttered up by the compliment, Frost finally brought herself to look up at him.

Urgh. Uncanny.

She wished he would just-- Put that mask back on that symmetrical mug of his.

"I suppose."

"Make good on your promise now." He reminded.

Frost exhaled tiredly and leaned against a nearby wall, removing her own mask.  
"Alright… What do you want to know?" She asked begrudgingly.

"Well… Everything." He mumbled.

The azure haired woman raised a brow at him.  
"You're gonna have to be more specific unless you want me to start with the big bang." She joked.

"I--"

Frost shushed him with her hand.  
"Matter of fact, let me limit you to one question per win. Yeah, seems fair."

Kuai Liang furrowed his brows at her.

She smirked at him.  
"What? Thought you could get lucky once and get all your answers?"

He crossed his arms.  
"I beg to differ on who 'got lucky'..."

"Well, then beg." She responded cockily.

"Dammit, woman--"

"Or do you not want answers at all?--"

"Fine! I'm sorry." He sighed. "We'll do it your way."

Frost grinned slyly. Maybe this really was gonna be fun.   
"Ask away."

Kuai Liang looked away, formulating the question.  
"Do you know the origins of these powers? Why do we have them?"

She tapped her frozen fingers against the wall, a thoughtful pout on her face.  
"Uhm… Okay… Our ancestors hailed from an ancient tribe in a realm now merged with Outworld. They were called Cryomancers."

His eyes widened.  
"So what you're saying is… We're not of this realm?"

"Not entirely. As far as I know they were banished from their lands several thousand years ago, I have no idea how far you'd have to look into your bloodline to find someone that wasn't born in Earthrealm. But the powers still passed down to us, somehow."

Kuai Liang looked at her expectantly, awaiting more information.

She shrugged.  
"That's what I know of the origins."

"You mentioned their name…"

"The Cryomancers, yeah."

"Are there any more of us?"

"I thought I made it clear I answer one question at a t--"

"Please…" 

Frost looked at him pitifully.

Was he really that desperate?

She guessed it wouldn't… Hurt to answer one more. Having him all ears and compliant like that was fun anyway.

"No, 'fraid we're basically extinct."

"But… There's you. And me and my brother."

"That's 3." She deadpanned.

"You said it's hereditary so what about your family?"

Frost looked down, chuckling bitterly.  
"My... 'family' is dead…" 

Kuai Liang realized he had crossed a line. If they're doing this, then he should definitely know his limits.

And hers as well.  
"I'm sorry, Frost."

"Don't be… I sure am not." She said, knowing that her birth givers met their gruesome fate by her hands.

Exactly what those maniacs deserved. 

Exactly what EVERYONE who wronged her deserves.

Dammit… Why the hell did she feel moisture in the corners of her eyes?

She couldn't help but laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.  
"I don't know why I'm even telling you this--." She mumbled, ready to leave as she had delivered on her stupid promise.

"Wait." He said, gently grabbing her arm.

Frost shook it out of his grasp... again.  
"Don't make a habit out of that." She warned angrily.

"Know that I really appreciate what you told me, I… I've been curious about who I am with no one to give me answers my whole life. I'm glad to have lost to you that day. I'm glad you're in the Lin Kuei."

The deja vu from that last sentence hit her like a train.

Grandmaster Sub-Zero had once told her just that… Back when it was an honour for her to be his apprentice. 

Hearing that in his voice again was just...

Frost shook off the strange feeling before grimacing at his unnecessary confession.  
"Please. I answered a question. Don't make it out to be more than it is."

Just then a few other clansmen entered the training hall, ready to start their day with a warm-up, ignoring the tense atmosphere between the two.

Frost cleared her throat.  
"Thank you for the spar, Tundra." She muttered with a quick bow, before rushing out of the heavy double doors.

Perhaps leaving him with a great deal more questions than answers.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!! Sorry for the late updates to the stories. With this whole situation in my country writing has been the last thing on my mind. Things seem to be calming down though so hopefully soon I'll have a more frequent updating schedule. But thank you all so much for understanding 🥺🥺🥺

A little over a week passed since Frost and Tundra's first sparring session. Going forward, the man didn't shy away from approaching her about it again and again almost every day, eager to get answers to the questions about his origins. 

She can't say it didn't annoy her to some extent. But after a few fights, she got used to it again. Despite past Kuai Liang lacking the skill of the Grandmaster she knew, training with him still gave her a very vivid sense of deja vu. 

Frost also quite enjoyed having him all ears when she'd talk about what she knew of the cryomancers. For once, SHE had a thing or two to teach. 

From time to time he'd try to cross a line and inquire about her past specifically. Which she didn't want to, and frankly, couldn't reveal. A quick glare from her piercing icy blue eyes got the message across though, and he'd bury his interest for the time being.

And a part of her wondered if it was sheer curiosity or a certain level of distrust he had towards her.

She wondered… Because if she was going to commit her perfect crime, she'd have to earn his trust first, to make it all the more satisfying. Even if it meant spending more time with him than absolutely necessary and even entrusting him with information about herself, though heavily altered… for obvious reasons. 

But from what she has seen, gaining his trust wasn't that difficult of a task… Any worthless fucker could do it.

Urgh. Frost still couldn't believe he'd invite that Shirai Ryu scum to THEIR temple.

Whatever. It's in the past… Or, well, the future-- Gods, She hated time travel.

On the brighter side, time flowed differently here, in the past, as opposed to her present.

So she could take her sweet time with the mission without Kronika noticing, especially with how busy the Titan would be, setting her plan in motion and all. 

Everything's going smoothly. She has time.

After yet another sleepless night in the old Lin Kuei palace, Frost made her way out into its courtyard to get some air and to be alone… To not feel like some random clansman's gaze was fixed on her at all times for some unknown reason.

It was just her… and the wooden dummy she was beating up, of course.

Frost much preferred a live opponent, but the training tool would have to do.

A simple contraption, with the Lin Kuei symbol etched on it, had 3 rotating sections, a paddle on each side, one to strike and the other to deflect. 

The cryomancer would spend hours on that thing as an apprentice… Had all the patterns and timings memorised.

She was rusty now and let the contraption get her on the head, side and hip a few times. 

After the 4th time the wooden paddle struck her across her face, Frost growled holding on to her stinging cheek.  
"Urgh! Stupid thing!" She shouted at it out of frustration, kicking it hard... only to have it kick back. "Ow.."

The woman heard a deep chuckle behind herself and jumped ever so slightly at the sudden sound before turning to the source.

As if she wasn't mad enough.

"I apologize, I did not mean to startle you." Kuai Liang said, chuckling still, a hand raised defensively. 

Frost rolled her eyes.  
"Well you did anyway." She then narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Were you laughing at me?"

He approached her and the training contraption.  
"I admit that was… Slightly amusing." 

"Well I'm glad my pain brought you momentary joy." She replied, tone drenched in sarcasm as she rubbed the soon-to-be bruise on her cheek.

"Are you alright?"

Frost flinched away from his hand that reached to touch her cheek.  
"S'fine. I've had worse." She mumbled coldly.

The blue haired clanswoman moved the paddles back to their original position before sighing.  
"Let me guess, now you'll take the opportunity to call out everything I did wrong." She spat bitterly.

The man laughed again.

"What's so funny?" She asked, agitated. 

"I've been on the receiving end of its beatdowns so… Who am I to judge?" 

Frost clicked her tongue. She really wasn't used to being his equal.  
"Huh. I guess you're right."

"There is advice though… If I may." 

She smirked.  
"You may."

Tundra stepped behind her, guiding her arm up to the paddle, helping her strike it with less force, to give her time to dodge, block or hit the opposite paddle.  
"Easy does it with this thing. Give yourself time, focus on the sequence. This tool is more about patience and focus than anything else." He explained.

Frost looked back at him, noting just how close he was.

She cleared her throat and stepped away from him hurriedly.  
"Makes sense. Thank you, Kuai Liang." She muttered.

The man's expression shifted to one of confusion but he tried to laugh it off.  
"How'd you… Know my birth name." 

Frost's eyes widened.

Oh shit. 

"I uh… I heard your uh... brother mention it." 

Nailed it.

Kuai Liang seemed to relax just a bit.  
"He did? Interesting."

Gods, Frost, why'd your brain have to malfunction like that.

Don't question it further, don't question it further, don't question it further.

Just then Kuai Liang's friend, whom she recognised to be Smoke, whistled from the temple balcony to catch his attention.

Talk about deus ex machina.

The silver haired young man gestured his comrade over. 

"If you'll excuse me. I'll see you later, Frost." He said with his signature polite bow before jogging back into the temple.

Once the man was out of sight, Frost facepalmed herself.

She really could have ruined everything with a simple mistake like that.

Couldn't let it happen again. She should cut it out with the familiarity.

~~~~~

Hours later, after teching Kuai's advice on the training dummy, Frost made her way back into the temple and into the mass training hall. 

Thankfully, her "peers" no longer stopped to gawk at her, whether hatefully or… otherwise... at her mere entrance.

Frost spotted Kuai Liang in the far end of the hall, sparring with his friend from earlier.

In the future, Grandmaster would often tell tales about him… What was it? Tomas, that's the name. Seemed like a good man. At least by Sub-Zero's standards. 

She let them be, shouldn't interrupt the sparring. 

The cryomancer moved along, towards the mats for some meditation, when someone bumped into her. Basically shoving her.

"Watch where you're going." The Elder Sub-Zero barked out at her.

Simply for that tone, she wanted to freeze his head off. But she'd be jeopardizing Kronika's plan if anything were to happen to the future wraith… So she swallowed her pride.  
"Sorry."

The man shook his head and walked past her… And Frost was about to do the same.

If she didn't hear him mutter something way out of line under his breath.

"Stupid woman…"

The remark made her cold blood boil immediately.

If anyone thinks she'll simply let that slide then they've got something else coming. 

Frost angrily blasted a sheet of ice right under Bi Han's feet, making him stumble and fall face first on the ground.  
"Oh my! Please forgive me, just my stupidity." She said with fake remorse.

The star Lin Kuei warrior got back up, hateful gaze boring into her.  
"Who do you think you are?"

Everyone's eyes were now on them.

"Who I'm definitely NOT is a stupid woman!" 

Bi Han stepped over to her menacingly.  
"Just because… others… have been babying you and humoring your pretension to our clan does not mean I will!"

He grabbed her by her throat and lifted her off the ground.

Frost gasped for air and kicked her legs aimlessly. There have been select times when she felt like she was genuinely freezing. His powers… The cold that surrounded him was unlike anything she has experienced.

The mist he emitted almost burned her skin. Especially around his grip on her neck. 

"I will show you your place!" He shouted.

Her vision started to blur as she desperately clawed at his hand.

"Brother! Enough!" Kuai Liang came to her defense, making the older cryomancer drop her.

Frost hit the ground with a loud thud, coughing and wheezing from the pain, her slender neck now bruised. 

Bi Han faced his brother and pointed an accusatory finger at his chest.  
"YOU'RE the one who should have done this!" 

Tundra changed the subject.  
"What were you going to do?! Kill one of ours in cold blood like you do everyone else?!"

Bi Han grimaced.  
"She's no 'one of ours' !"

Smoke and the clan member Frost recognised as Cyrax kindly helped her back on her feet. 

She, of course, did not waste her breath on gratitude, opting instead to storm out of the training hall, embarrassed.

The pointlessly tense atmosphere of the room made most of the trainees follow Frost's example and exit, leaving only the estranged brothers and the two that helped their female peer.

Bi Han faced Kuai Liang again.  
"Some brother… Why did you defend that worthless wench? She tried to humiliate me!"

"Was I supposed to just let you kill her?"

"No, ideally, you were supposed to do it yourself after she embarrassed you on the day of her arrival. In front of everyone. In front of ME." Bi Han responded, disappointed.

"That has nothing to do with the situation at hand." Kuai Liang mumbled.

The Elder Sub-Zero seemed to search for something in his younger brother's eyes.  
"What has that witch done to you? Hexed you? Charmed you?.. Hell, seduced you perhaps--?"

"--You've gone mad, brother." Tundra responded angrily, having enough of the ridiculous accusations.

"Next thing we know you'll share trusted Lin Kuei secrets that she has no access to yet." 

Kuai Liang's eyes widened.  
"You're one to talk! Casually mentioning our birth names near her."

Bi Han raised a brow, confused.  
"I-- What?!--"

"Alright, enough!" Smoke interrupted, moving the two brothers away from each other before anything more serious could break out. "This is not accomplishing anything… She's one of us now. We didn't decide that, the Grandmaster did, so even you don't have a say, Sub-Zero."

The older man shook his head in disbelief before taking his leave. 

Tomas turned back to his friend.  
"Maybe he's right. Steer clear of her. Her attitude, her… Everything. It might be bad news." 

Kuai Liang looked down, sighing.  
"She is somewhat of a mystery…" He put his hand on Tomas's shoulder supportively. "I'll be careful, my friend."

~~~~~

Frost ran off out of the temple and its grounds, not even bothering to check her amulet, not caring where she'd end up.

She hid behind a tree, about 500 meters away from the Lin Kuei gates.

The woman clutched her still aching throat, her entire body shaking with anger.

She hated this. All of it. Screw her for this stupid plan. 

She just wanted to finish her mission as soon as possible now.

But Kuai Liang just saved her. And going for the kill now would… It would just be all wrong.

"URGH THIS IS SO FUCKING STUPID!"  
Frost kicked the tree she was leaning against and the ground under her gave away, sending her falling down a tube, straight into some metal lined basement.

She groaned as she peeled herself off the ground. Surprised that fall didn't kill her.

Her eyes widened at the sight of her location.

Blueprints and parts of the future Cyber Lin Kuei initiative. 

Woah… So this was the exodus.

Frost unrolled one of the manuals, which explained the process of cyberization.

Gods, these first attempts were pathetic, she couldn't help but laugh. 

Right by the blueprints laid the faceplate of the red cyber ninja, which she took and inspected closely. 

Sektor.

Those events were near.

That fascinated her. 

The downward spiral for Lin Kuei was just around the corner. 

Frost won't be around to witness it of course… But it was interesting to think about.

The blue haired woman wanted to inspect more but the sound of approaching footsteps from outside the metal gate of the basement interrupted her.

She hid behind a nearby rubble, stealing a peek at who it was.

"This truly is the future of Lin Kuei, father." 

Sektor in the flesh… for now.

The old grandmaster entered through the gate right after his son.  
"The human body… It's so fragile. Breaks down so easily. No one could be a component fighter forever. Until now… This initiative will create the perfect assassins."

He put a hand on his son's shoulder.  
"I'm glad you volunteer for progress, my boy."

"Of course, father."

Frost rolled her eyes.

Pathetic.

"Who else will we test the waters with?" The younger warrior asked.

The Grandmaster chuckled.  
"Why do you think I recruited the woman? She'll be perfect for this. She's a good fighter, sure… But she'll also require less parts." He said as some sort of twisted joke. 

She nearly retched from hearing that conversation.

Yeah, that's not happening. 

The two men laughed heartily before leaving the basement through the same gate and it stayed open long enough for her to slip out as well. Thankfully, unnoticed. 

The cryomancer used Kronika's gift to navigate her way out of the underground area and back into the temple.

Somehow the reminder of the pathetic fates some of those clowns chose for themselves cheered Frost up. None of what happened earlier even mattered in the big scheme of things. 

But to save herself further unpleasant encounters, she was definitely going to wall herself up in the bedroom wing of the temple, unless she needed training.

She FOR SURE wasn't showing herself in the dining area later.

~~~~~

The task was easier said than done. With each passing day the need for food steadily returned and with a force unknown to Frost. Even those few hours of protest were leaving her really malnourished.

The cryomancer was never much of an eater before… She did it when she absolutely had to, would never even interrupt training for it.

But now she was ravenous because of that shift back into her human body.

Frost hugged her knees to her chest on her bed, trying to ignore her growling stomach.

Her pride was still stronger than her wave of gluttony. She wasn't showing herself down there.

Fuck you, Bi Han, fuck you a with a sledgehammer. Fuck Kuai Liang too… just a bloodline of assholes. 

And at this point she didn't know who was worse.

Anger wasn't making her any less hungry, quite the opposite.

She gave up on it all, she'd just have sleep for dinner.

Frost slipped out of the Lin Kuei uniform and was ready to climb under the blanket when she noticed a shadow looming behind the traditionally thin, almost paper like walls of the bedroom. 

It crouched by the door before hurrying down the corridor.

What the hell…

The woman peeked her head out. Whoever it was had already vanished. But down on the ground, near the door frame was a small tray of rice and a piece of flatbread on top of it. 

Her famished system forgot all else and simply took the tray in, devouring the contents. 

But in the back of her clouded mind she knew exactly who left it by her room as yet another act of his irrational kindness.

Kuai Liang really was a softie…

… And he was starting to make her mission hard for her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the first time ever I don't really have a whole lecture to write in the notes before the chapter sooo yeah! Hope y'all will enjoy this read 😌😌😌

It was the morning after Frost's humiliation at the hands of the Elder Sub-Zero.

She didn't expect things to go south so quick and so hard during this little plan of hers.

But sadly she couldn't control how much of an asshole Kronika's other ally was. 

Right then Frost wanted nothing more but to freeze the motherfucker's head off… But she'd be jeopardising the Titan's plan so she withstood against her sadistic desires.

Her aggressor's brother's kind act distracted her from her anger though.

She decided, while restless in her bed, to stakeout by the door of her designated bedroom to see if he would stop by to drop something off again.

After she absolutely refused to show herself in the commune halls downstairs. 

Even if the man did it again, Frost didn't necessarily want to call him out on it… Hell, she mostly wanted to confirm her suspicions that it was indeed him who brought her food the night before.

It was… a sweet gesture. And She didn't see it coming from anyone but Kuai Liang's spineless self.

Knowing just how much of an early bird he was, she had to force herself to be up even earlier, to catch him in case he showed up.

So she waited, her back pressed against the thin wall while she fidgeted with an ice ball. 

The woman didn't have to speculate much longer. Soon enough she heard quiet footsteps right outside her door.

Frost yanked it open only to come face to face with exactly who she expected to see on the other side.

His wide-eyed look of surprise as he stood there with an identical tray of white rice and flatbread from yesterday made her smirk.

"Uh… Good morning. I did not expect you." Kuai Liang said awkwardly

She crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe.  
"Funny, I'm the one who should be saying that." Frost looked down at the tray in his hands. "I guess you were my nightly visitor yesterday." She said in a somewhat teasing manner. 

"I suppose you caught me red-handed." He joked back. "You didn't come to dine last evening. I thought I'd sneak something to you." 

Frost suppressed an eye roll. His altruistic tendencies seemed borderline ridiculous.  
"Thank you." She uttered, barely keeping herself from gagging from telling him words of gratitude.

Kuai Liang's expression shifted to a more stoic, serious one.  
"May I come in?" He asked.

That caught her by surprise. But nonetheless, she stepped away from the door and opened it a bit wider for him.  
"Knock yourself out." She mumbled.

Kuai Liang let himself in and set the tray of food at the foot of her bed, before turning to her, his arms crossed.  
"I must apologize on behalf of my brother."

"Don't bother." She spat. "Not the first time I've faced such disapproval. I'm unfazed."

"You were fazed enough to stay locked up here for all of yesterday." He confronted.

His rebuttal only earned him her silence.

Kuai Liang cleared his throat.  
"He's unfortunately having a hard time coming to terms with a female Lin Kuei."

Frost raised a brow.  
"Iiis that supposed to make me feel better or..?"

"Explaining his behaviour, not justifying it."

"I see." She crossed her arms. "Well at least one of you has his head screwed on the right way." 

Kuai Liang nodded  
"You're a good fighter. For all I know, that's all that matters."

Her heartbeat seemed to quicken at the sudden compliment. An occurrence she couldn't explain and wouldn't even attempt to.  
"Thanks." Frost mumbled with a small smile.

He smirked.  
"Don't let it get to your head. There's always room for improvement." The man said ambitiously, trying to get a rise out of her.

Frost eyed him up and down.  
"Don't you say..." She cracked her neck.  
"I take it you'd like to show me?" 

"Surely not in the middle of the room. Unless you want your bed broken."

The blue haired cryomancer shuddered at the double entendre that formed in the back of her mind.

For better or worse, it flew right over his celibate little head. 

She hid her face and gestured towards the door.  
"Lead the way."

~~~~~

Their spar started like any other before it… and they didn't quite realize how it took such a try-hard turn.

The two tackling one another on the mat, each trying to pin the other on their back.

And in a miraculous turn of events, Frost got the upper hand.

The two cryomancers laid there, arms glowing a faint blue from heavy use of their powers, with Frost on top, straddling Kuai Liang's waist. 

He stared up at her, frozen clouds emitting through the slits in his mask with each heavy exhale.  
"You were desperate for that win this time, weren't you?" 

"After your comment earlier? Absolutely." She responded through her own heavy breaths. 

He chuckled tiredly before throwing the mask off.  
"I don't know what you want me to say… That there's no scope for improvement in your skill?" 

Frost rolled her eyes and covered his mouth with her palm.  
"You said it yourself, you're not one to judge. All I want is for you to keep quiet about it."

He removed her hand, smirking up at her.  
"Fair enough."

The woman shook herself out of that trance of familiarity, getting off him before reaching her hand down for him to take.

Kuai Liang took it, pushing up on his feet.  
"I have to ask…"

"Do I need to remind you of the rules of your questions?" She sassed.

"It's not about cryomancy." He clarified.

"Huh… Well, let's hear it then." She replied.

"Did you have a mentor before coming here?" Kuai asked in all seriousness.

This again?

When will he stop probing her about her past?  
"You know personal questions are completely off limits…" She said, turning away from him.

"Is it a sensitive topic?"

Curious little bastard. 

"Believe it or not, yes, an assassin's past is a sensitive topic." She answered through gritted teeth.

A tense silence fell between them once again. 

The woman refused to face him for what seemed like hours but what in reality was just a minute or two.

Kuai Liang took the hint, perhaps he was crossing a line. He was about to leave her side when she whipped back around to face him. 

Some stupid, reckless part of her just wanted to pour it all out.  
"My mentor, he… I was led to him when I was at my lowest. I became his student by sheer chance. Sheer luck. That one man taught me everything I know about cryomancy that wasn't just a shot in the dark. I had finally found a place in this god forsaken world but… One day I dared to question his authority and judgement. And he exiled me. Banished me like I was nothing but dead weight. Like I was some nuisance." Frost vented, putting every ounce of anger into her tone.

And the man before her, whom she was telling all this to was the very man that caused… or will cause her all that pain and there was nothing she could do about it... just yet. 

Frost wiped her face of what she hoped was sweat and not tears.  
"Hope that satisfied your curiosity." She spat bitterly.

Kuai Liang stepped towards her and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.  
"You belong here now. In the Lin Kuei." He said firmly.

The woman looked up at him, barely keeping herself together. 

Those words were like daggers to her chest. She never thought she'd hear anything like that again. Definitely not from him. 

Frost shook him off so fast one would think his hand burned her.  
"I'm sorry I--... I'll see you later." She quickly said before pushing past him and out of the training hall.

The cryomancer felt like such an idiot. Why would she even tell him that?! Surely, she was a hair away from messing up this whole mission.

She had to finish it. And fast.

~~~~~

Frost hurried back into the far west wing of the Lin Kuei temple and into her chamber. 

She had to focus on completing her mission now.  
"You're here to kill him. Just get it done without all that sentimental bullshit." She told herself while looking at the reflective surface of the empty tray of food from the night before.

That reminded her of the one he brought her earlier in the morning that she just left behind to spar with him. 

Frost grabbed the now dry piece of flatbread and chewed on it absently while her mind raced. 

She thought this plan of hers would be gratifying. Entertaining. It was neither of those. It was miserable. 

The cryomancer needed to end him and safely return to the present. That's it. Nothing more.

Frost threw aside the piece of food that only reminded her of the man's irrational kindness and made it all the more difficult to go through with her task.

Wiping her face of the cold sweat that had gathered right above her eyebrow, she realized just how gross she was.

She needed to shower. That's something she has only done once while in the Lin Kuei temple and only because she found a moment when she would be alone in the communal showers, which are obviously constantly occupied by the male warriors.

Yeah, no, hell would freeze over before she even considered to step in there naked with those underdeveloped "men".

As if their gazes when she was clothed didn't repulse her enough.

Frost had to find some other place where she could wash off. 

Twirling Kronika's amulet in her hand she scanned the area surrounding the temple.

Had to be some stream or river she could use.

Aha. 

What she found was outside the amulet's range, but it's where most of the rivers led. She'd have to get closer and check it out.

She made her way down the mostly empty corridors of the Lin Kuei temple and snuck out through the main entrance, hearing everyone gathered mostly in the training hall.

The blue-haired cryomancer crossed the tranquil courtyard, holding her hand out to catch snowflakes on her gloved palm.

Kronika seems to have sent her back at the dawn of winter, as light snow fell all around her, covering the ground in a thin layer.

Naturally unbothered by it, Frost made her way through the dense forest, jumping over the thick tree roots that were like veins through the forest floor, following the frozen river that would lead her to what she thought was a bountiful source of water. 

Coming to a crossroad, the cryomancer exhaled an exasperated frozen cloud, one hand on her hip as she consulted the amulet with the other. 

There seemed to be a limit of how far from the temple the amulet could see and that angered Frost as she harshly let go of it, having it dangle on her neck uselessly.  
"Stupid thing…" She mumbled.

Choosing the path on the right intuitively, Frost made out a constant crashing sound in the distance. 

The woman followed it, the sound becoming louder and louder with each root she jumped over and each rock she climbed.

Until she finally found what she was looking for.

And a grand waterfall spanning an entire hill that all the half-frozen rivers and streams poured into definitely wasn't what she expected to see.

"Gods…" She whispered in bewilderment. 

The hidden area was absolutely beautiful. 

The sheets of ice at the very top hit the rocks at high speed, shattering in what seemed like thousands of pieces, raining down with the water. Pooling around the shore like seafoam.

Frost took in the gorgeous sight for a quick minute. But didn't let it stall her for long. She just needed to wash off and head back into the temple as soon as possible.

She discarded the Lin Kuei uniform, taking her sweet time to peel off the leather bodysuit under the blue tunic off her skin.

The clothes bunched up around her ankles and she easily stepped out of them.

The cryomancer let the pleasant cold of the winter air linger on her skin for a moment. Pleasant for her that is, anyone else would have succumbed to hypothermia at this point. 

She tiptoed into the water, barely feeling the below zero temperatures of it, before stepping under the waterfall itself.

The forceful stream of water felt incredible on her sore muscles, immediately helping her relax.

The same couldn't be said about her mind though. 

The loud crashing all around her didn't help either.

A part of her wished she could just shower in the temple without being repulsed… By others AND herself.

Frost wouldn't admit it to anyone but it was a huge insecurity ever since her cage fighting days.

She hated being looked at… in THAT way.

In a cage, partaking in a bloody brawl, until she was pretty much in a pool of the maroon liquid, sickos outside the chained fence would stare at her hungrily… Like starved dogs… The most indecent ones even touching themselves in the crowd.

Her arrogance blinded her to just how traumatized she was because of that. 

Even now, knowing she was all alone, being naked made her feel like she was drenched in those gazes… And she wanted so desperately to wash them off.

She scraped and scraped and scraped her skin with her nails, as if to erase the sudden memory of those dirty looks. 

Frost screamed in pain, stumbling backwards against a rock wall behind the waterfall.  
"F-F-Fuck…" She whispered angrily, realizing she forgot she was no longer metal and had scraped the skin on her arms open in a frenzy, her blood mixing with the water dripping from her body.

She didn't know what possessed her just then to mess herself up like that.

The woman hissed from the sting of the cuts as she held her trembling arms under the waterfall again, washing the blood off. Rubbing a particularly nasty scratch, an agonized sob escaped her lips.

"That's what you get." Frost told herself. "Stupid bitch, what did you think would happen?"

The stinging subdued and the woman fully submerged in the water again and as painful as the fit of rage was… Letting it all out honestly helped her relax even more.

It reminded her what she was here for. To ensure Kronika's success, so in the new timeline she wouldn't have to suffer like she did in this one.

And for that… She has to kill Kuai Liang.

~~~~~

Awakened by the cold shower and more than ever determined to carry out her mission, Frost hurried back to the temple, the gauntlets of her uniform hiding most of the harm she dealt herself. 

Sneaking back into the temple grounds Frost noticed the warriors she more or less recognized speaking to the grandmaster in the courtyard.

The two brothers, Kuai Liang's comrade Smoke, the grandmaster's son Sektor and Cyrax.

She wondered what that was about.

Bi-Han noticed her first and his proud expression immediately shifted to one of disgust.  
"There's the she-devil you were looking for." He said sarcastically.

Frost's eyes widened.  
"You wanted to see me, Grandmaster?" She asked with a bow, ignoring Sub-Zero's disrespectful remark.

"Indeed, Frost." The old master answered solemnly. "The time has come… To prove yourself on your first real mission."

Frost's heart sank to her stomach. She didn't foresee having to join the other warriors on one.  
"Y-yes, Grandmaster." 

The cryomancer just hoped she didn't bite off more than she could chew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Good things for my babey Frost
> 
> Also me: literally torturing her physically and emotionally. 
> 
> 🙃🙃🙃


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello 👁️👄👁️ it is I, inconsistent update bitch.
> 
> This chapter took waAAAAY too long but it is also the longest one so ENJOY
> 
> Also this is the chapter where things REALLY start to get OOC I guess B U T I just want them to be cute and funny together can I live?? Can I live?? Can I want fluff?? Well I wrote fluff anyway so ENJOY FOR NOW because the upcoming 4 or so chapters might be just gratuitous smut practice SEE YA THEN
> 
> Also Jesus Christ it's so confusing to use "Sub-Zero" for Bi Han and not Kuai Liang please don't get confused-- Sub-Zero is Bi Han here

Frost no longer knew how far she'd be willing to take this little self indulgent plan of hers.

The prospect of being entrusted with a mission never really crossed her mind.

And yet here she was.

In the grandmaster's quarters, surrounded by her peers, whom she'd be joining for the legation. 

She was fully aware of the dangers that could arise. And the last thing she'd want is to be doomed to retry this task, in case she allows herself a… Fatal mistake.

Somehow that's all her mind could focus on while the Grandmaster went on and on about where and after what he's sending them. 

Leant against one of the walls of the modest throne room, Frost promptly ignored his explained objectives, opting instead to observe those whom she'll be joining. 

The brothers, obviously. A rather predictable choice. 

She just can't seem to escape them.

The younger's friend - Smoke, and a few other clansmen whose names or titles she couldn't be bothered to memorize. 

As she scanned the room, her eyes met Kuai Liang's, leant against the opposite wall. 

Frost anxiously averted her gaze and snapped out of her observations, focusing instead on their superior.

"Your task is simple. You get in, retrieve the case... And eliminate any and all witnesses." The grandmaster instructed. 

Everyone gestured and mumbled affirmatively, besides Bi Han who silently fumed, though not unnoticeably.

"Speak your mind, Sub-Zero." The grandmaster ordered.

"Grandmaster, I strongly encourage a… Reconsideration… Of who we do and do not allow on these missions."

Frost exhaled sharply.  
"He knows I can hear him, right?" She mumbled the rhetorical question.

The elder Sub-Zero bitterly ignored her remark.  
"Sifu, I--" 

"Do you imply that I lack judgement?" The mentor asked with a raised brow. 

"I would never." Bi Han insisted.

Frost snort-laughed.

What a pathetic suck up, she thought. 

"Then I believe there's no point of further discussion. You leave at nightfall." 

With that, the grandmaster exited the room, leaving the delegation for the mission to ponder over the upcoming journey. 

"Ridiculous…" Sub-Zero muttered, his stare boring hatefully into Frost. 

"Bi Han--" Kuai Liang whispered warningly. 

"Quiet, brother." He replied dismissively. "Perhaps the old man DOES lack judgement if he allows this pretender to not only hold the Lin Kuei title… But to mess with our duties."

"If anyone lacks judgement, it's you." The younger sibling stated. 

For once, Frost simply stayed quiet, letting the confrontation unfold.

Hey, Kuai Liang was going out of his way to defend her… Was she supposed to not savour the sheer ridiculousness of the situation?

Bi Han stared at his brother.  
"Sometimes I get the impression that everyone here has lost their minds." he mumbled disappointedly before following his comrades, who had long fled the tense epicenter, out of the grandmaster's chamber

Frost expected nothing better of the chauvinistic clan member but that was embarrassing, even by his standards.

She knew she had nothing to prove to the man but… She had to give her all to this mission just to shut him up.

~~~

Hours passed, the sunlight flooding through the windowless corridors of the temple gradually reddened and faded before disappearing entirely.

Dusk.

The time came for Frost to show what she was capable of.

They simply had to retrieve something for the Grandmaster.

She couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with the cyber initiative.

But on the other hand she tried not to dwell on it too much. It wasn't for her to deal with, it was bound to happen anyway.

Frost readied herself and minutes after the sunset she heard a knock on her bedroom door. 

She opened it and exited the room, before facing her visitor. 

"Good evening." Kuai Liang greeted.

She smiled.  
"Evening."

"You seem… determined."

Frost raised a brow. "You sound surprised." 

He shrugged in response.

"I am more than ready to fulfill my duties." She said angrily.

"All you've seen so far is training." He reminded.

She rolled her eyes, leaving his side.  
"It seems your brother has gotten through to you with his reservations about me." 

"Not at all." He assured, catching up to her. "I worry--." 

"--I won't drag the mission down."

"It's not the mission I worry about." He mumbled.

Frost stopped in her tracks, looking him up and down.  
"What is that supposed to mean?"

He sighed.  
"I wouldn't want you to be in harm's way.

Her eyes widened. Not what she expected to hear.  
"Surely I wouldn't be an assassin if being in dangerous situations vexed me." She whispered, taking a challenging step towards him. 

Ending up maybe just a bit closer than necessary.

He smirked.  
"Doesn't alleviate my concerns."

"You won't have time to worry about me, out there. So just worry about yourself." She sassed. 

Kuai Liang chuckled.  
"I suppose you just don't strike me as the stealthy type."

This again?

Does he even realize how patronising he is?

She spared him a demonstration, cocking her head to the side innocently while her hands went lower and unholstered the armored mask that was strapped to his belt, without him noticing.  
"Oh, I don't?"

The woman lifted the royal blue mask, holding it up against her own face.  
"Too bad."

Kuai Liang shook his head at her, more than amused.  
"Alright, you have quick hands, does not prove much." 

She stepped away from him playfully.  
"You're right, that was no challenge… Like snatching candy from a toddler." She mocked. 

The cryomancer rolled his eyes, laughing.  
"May I have it back now?"

She put it on herself, pretending like she didn't hear him as she continued down the corridor.

"Frost…" He called out warningly. 

The blue haired warrior paced a bit faster, sensing that his patience was wearing thin.

"That's it." He mumbled, full on chasing her down the temple corridor.

"Shouldn't have let me take it in the first place!" She shouted through laughter, barely escaping his reaching grasp.

Who would have thought she'd be able to behave like that around him. 

Putting him in his place like that, being ALLOWED to do that to begin with, was… Enjoyable. Fun, even. 

Although the fun had to come to an end as quickly as it started, when they reached the group of fellow clansmen, the two of them presumably the last to arrive, judging by Bi Han's sour expression.

Unless, well, that was the idiot's perpetual state.

"How gracious of you to join us…" the elder Sub-Zero mumbled sarcastically, noting how the two of them were more than a little out of breath.

He finally averted his disapproving gaze and Frost sneakily returned the mask to Kuai Liang, barely holding back her laughter as her eyes met his.

"You are a child." He mouthed, shaking his head. 

He went ahead and Frost stuck her tongue out at him bitterly.

Ultimately proving his previous point, though he didn't witness it.

She followed the group deep into the bowels of the temple, down into a dimly lit dungeon area.

Now what the hell is this place..? She thought.

The woman consulted Kronika's amulet, quite unsuccessfully, as some sort of force dulled its field of view.

She soon discovered what it was. Some sort of portal whirlpool, powered with what she assumed was Netherrealm sorcery.

The old Lin Kuei was always buddy-buddy with the cursed realm… 

But surely they'd need some way of transportation from the middle-of-nowhere temple to mission destinations… She didn't suppose they could freely access planes or… helicopters… So the black magic would have to do. 

Bi Han knelt down and gathered a cupful of the enchanted liquid in a grail with the Lin Kuei symbol etched on it. 

He traced the edge of the grail with his finger while whispering in some dead Netherrealm language.

Uhm… Was this really easier than securing a plane or something?

Next thing she knew - the pool of the grey liquid overflowed, swallowing them and with a blinding flash of light, transported them to their destination.

They emerged, surprisingly completely dry, with the remaining liquid now hanging in a vial around Bi Han's neck. 

Their new location was in drastic contrast with the ancient Lin Kuei temple.

A "modern"... Well… modern for the late 80s… research center with heavy camera surveillance, save for the few human guards here and there.

Yeap, definitely something regarding the cyber initiative.

Sub-Zero faced their group.  
"We need to get in unnoticed. Should things go south, eliminate anyone in your path." He ordered.

They all nodded affirmatively.

"Be stealthful as the night…" Bi Han started.

"...And deadly as the dawn." The rest of them continued the Lin Kuei motto. 

Frost suppressed an eye roll.

Yeah, yeah, sure, can they just get this over with?

She never understood what was so deadly about the dawn anyway.

But that's besides the task at hand.

The group stealthily walked around the barbed wire fence. 

Bi Han was just about to pass through an opening when Frost stopped him, noticing a camera just above the post.

"Good eye…" He complimented begrudgingly.

She stepped forward and grabbed the column, her summoned ice migrating higher and higher until it froze over the lens of the camera.

They snuck onto the facility grounds and saw a lone guard smoking just outside his surveillance station.

"This needs to be dealt with." Bi Han whispered.

Frost smirked.  
"May I?" 

Sub-Zero stared at her, eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

But quickly yielded.  
"By all means…"

Frost walked past him and climbed onto the surveillance booth insanely fast.  
And as impressive as that was, it was only half the job.

The cryomancer summoned an ice dagger in her hand and leapt down just as fast as she climbed, driving the sharp ice construct into the guard's jugular, the cold spreading through his body as he spasmed in her grip.

Until it ceased… And with a light push, the now frozen body shattered on the snowy ground. 

Had it been the time and place, she would have savoured their awestruck reactions a bit longer.

She'd especially linger on Kuai Liang's… His stern yet impressed look… Momentarily creating a tight knot in her stomach before they were all urged to move along by Bi Han. 

They snuck to the mechanical gate, a badge authenticator keeping it locked. 

"Brilliant…" Bi Han mumbled.

"If only someone had that." Frost whispered, holding the badge of the guard she took out earlier. That she snatched before it could freeze over with the rest of his body.

The elder Sub-Zero stared at her as he took the badge.  
"Color me impressed…" 

"Just some quick hands that don't prove anything." She mumbled with a shrug, smugly looking over at Kuai Liang for his remark from before. 

The gate whirred open and the group rushed in, hurrying down the brightly lit, white corridor. 

"Do we know where the case is?" Smoke asked worriedly.

"Approximately." Bi Han answered.  
"This way."

They continued their way down the floor and Frost was becoming suspicious of how well Bi Han knew where they were supposed to go.

She knew Kronika's amulet was potentially limitless so she tripped it, focusing real hard to replace the Temple grounds map with their current surroundings.

Frost successfully gained access to the entire facility, clearly seeing each floor, but not too much detail just yet.

But what she DID see was an invisible link of alarm lasers right ahead.

She barely caught Bi Han's arm before he ran straight into one.  
"Stop!"

"What is it?" He asked.

She stepped forward and blew a frozen cloud against the scanners, delicate enough to not set them off but with enough weight to make the lasers flicker with the snow particles.

"What in the…" Sub-Zero whispered, confused.

"I'll cross first." Frost reassured.

Shimmying over and under the diagonal lasers, she got to the other side and to an elevator.  
"Alright… Your turn." She said breathlessly.

But as she took a long good look at the buff, bulky men she realized she was the only one making it that way.  
"Actually, don't move. Don't even attempt it, you'll set it off." She warned.

"We'll find another way across to you." Tundra said reassuringly. 

She nodded solemnly.  
"Alright."

"Try to find the product." Bi Han ordered. "It's a black, leather case."

Frost moved to the elevator.  
"It'll be done, Sub-Zero."

He hesitated but nodded respectfully. 

And with that she parted ways with the group.

Urgh. Incompetent infants.

How the hell did they even complete this mission in the real timeline? 

The elevator door whirred open and she stepped out onto the second floor, and immediately hid behind a nearby wall, confronted with two new guards.

"Brilliant…" She whispered.

Frost checked her amulet. They weren't technically between her and the loot. 

She let them be, for now, and crossed the long vast corridor. 

Archive room.

Something told her she was on the right path.

The cryomancer entered the comically large archive area, the ceilings bound not to the laws of physics. 

"Fucking hell…" She whispered.

She flipped a switch and the huge industrial lights flickered on one by one.

"How the hell am I supposed to find a black, leather case amongst all this cr--"

Just then she noticed a nearby control panel… And the black case conveniently sitting atop it.  
"...Sure hope this is it."

Frost was about to grab it and run off but… Her curiosity got the better of her, she had to know what's in it.

She summoned an ice lock pick on her fingertip, twisting it in the simple lock. Once… Twice… Three clicks.

And the case snapped open.

A set of metal tools resembling spinal discs laid inside.

Must be the way they would connect the brain to the body of the cyborg.

Unbeknownst to herself, Frost shuddered, forcing the case shut again.

She… didn't need that just then.

With a shaky exhale, she gathered herself and left the archive room, not before shutting off the industrial lights.

Almost immediately after she did that, alarms blared all through the facility.

Fuck. 

Someone blew their cover.

Frost ran back down the labyrinth-like corridors of the higher floor, catching sight of a surveillance room.

She needed to check on everyone else.

The woman kicked the surveillance room door open, the abandoned room that is.

All the guards must have been called upon at that point.

"Shit…"

She secured the case under her arm, and scanned the monitors in search of her peers.

Almost instinctively, she looked for Kuai Liang first.

Although her own secret mission and... life… in general, would have been easier had he been a casualty here… A part of her wanted to make sure he was alright.

Just so she can have the glory of finishing her task, no other reason.

Yeah, no, none.

The man was easily fending off a couple of guards.

As entertaining and… intriguing... as it was to see him use sheer, brute force for once, smashing one guard's head over the other's, there were, unfortunately, more pressing matters.

Bi Han was struggling against a whole crowd of guards moving in on him.

She assumed he's the reason the alarms went off.

So much for the best of Lin Kuei.

The realization hit Frost that in the original turn of events, Bi Han was the one to retrieve the case and by changing that aspect of history, she may have put his life in danger prematurely.

Fuck.

She couldn't let another of Kronika's allies die, that would get her in an unimaginable amount of trouble.

Frost hurried out of the surveillance room and booked it to the first floor.

Eventually running straight into Kuai Liang.

He steadied her with his hands on her shoulders.  
"Frost. I'm glad you're alright."

"L-likewise. Tundra, your broth--"

"You've got the case--!"

"Huh? Y-Yes, but it's not important, your brother's in danger!" She blurted out.

"What?!"

"We have to hurry, he's cornered." 

Frost ran without further explanation, Kuai Liang following not far behind. 

Eventually reaching the area where the guards surrounded Bi Han, Kuai Liang and Frost absolutely tag-teamed the ever-growing crowd, frozen body part shards hitting the ground like snow in January.

Soon enough they were backed up by the rest of the clansmen who had reached the scene.

They fared well, but the guards kept flooding them.

Bi Han approached Frost.  
"We have to stop them at the source."

"I've got an idea." She said, thinking back to all the ventilation connections she saw with the amulet. "But it's risky."

Bi Han growled.  
"Risky won't cut it right now."

"You'll have to trust me!" She shouted.

"What do we have to do?" Kuai Liang butted in, realizing that his brother would waste time bickering about it.

Frost dragged both of her fellow cryomancers to the nearby vent and pressed their palms against it, while the other clansmen fended off a new wave of guards.

"Blast as hard as you can!" She ordered. "On three!"

One…

Two…

Three!

The trio of cryomancers blew streams of burning cold through the ventilation system.

And suddenly… All was still.

One of their fellow Lin Kuei cautiously peeked out of the area they were in.

A chain of guards frozen alive led up to the battle scene. 

Not one able to move…

"... Gods…" Bi Han whispered at the sight of the aftermath of their collective ice blast.  
"That could have killed us too." He mumbled.

Kuai Liang shook his head at his sibling.  
"Brother… She saved us."

The elder Sub-Zero turned to Frost, a hesitant expression on his face…

...Before it melted into a smirk.  
"Hells… I suppose she did."

She shook her head.  
"I didn't…"

They raised their brows at her, confused at her sudden modesty.

Frost smirked.  
"I didn't JUST save you… I also got this." She boasted, holding up the case.

Bi Han snort-laughed.  
"Well, I'll be…" He put a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you do belong among the best, woman."

She smiled proudly, bowing before him.

And for the first time, he reciprocated it.

"Let's get out of here before any of them thaws." Frost suggested.

~~~

The group left the facility victoriously, with Bi Han still pouring his exaggerated praises to Frost.

Quite unexpected, actually.

She assumed her was just momentarily grateful for the save, and would be back to being a complete asshole soon enough.

"Well, you all know what this successful mission means!" Sub-Zero said triumphantly.

Frost raised her brow.  
"Wait, what does it mean."

Kuai Liang chuckled.  
"We've earned a day of celebration."

She rolled her eyes.  
"Fuuun… Do we get to meditate for 10 minutes longer than usual?" She joked.

"Even better." Bi Han answered.

"He knows I'm being--... Sarcastic, right?" 

Ignoring her question, Bi Han grabbed the vial around his neck, summoning a portal for them again.

But instead of the dim basement of the Lin Kuei temple, the group emerged in a narrow alleyway.

Frost blinked a few times.

Are they… in a town?

The clansmen hurried out of the alley, excitedly and Frost followed them, still confused.

They spawned in a quaint little town at the edge of a forest, which she assumed was the Lin Kuei forest.

"We've earned ourselves a day of freedom." Kuai Liang explained.

Frost was shocked to say the least.

But, of course, that wasn't the last whiplash she was about to receive as she noticed just WHERE they were going to… "Celebrate."

She stared in utter disbelief as her peers poured into a combination of a bar and…

A brothel.

You. Can't. Make. This. Shit. Up.

~~~

Naturally, Frost wasn't planning to take advantage of any of the… exclusive activities the whorehouse had to offer.

So she simply tucked herself away at the bar as she observed the "fun" her fellow Lin Kuei partook in.

It seems they've become quite the regular customers as each clansman seemed to enjoy the company of an escort of their own.

Or two…

Or three, in Bi Han's case.

Gods, please end this nightmare.

But perhaps what infuriated her the most was that she couldn't locate Kuai Liang anywhere.

Shyly looking around the lounge she seemed to catch the sight of him on the far end, currently being coerced by one of the barely clad workers of the bordello. 

Frost sharply turned away from the sight.

She could have sworn before that the man was a bitter, old, virgin.

But now knowing that the Lin Kuei had… "fun" here, on the regular made her reconsider her knowledge.

The thought of him with some-- some--

URGH, why does she care?! 

Frost slammed her hand against the bar counter.  
"Tequila." She ordered.

The bartender slid her a shot glass and was about to pour the scarily transparent liquid when she gestured for him to give her the whole bottle.

One small shot won't get her anywhere. Not even three. Not even five.

And she desperately needs to wipe the mental image of Kuai Liang with a random hooker from her mind--

"Mind if I keep you company?"

Frost flinched at his voice.

But wasn't he just--.

"Uhm… Yes, well… Knock yourself out, I guess." She mumbled, downing her first shot of the clear liquid.

Kuai Liang settled in the bar stool next to her.

She side-eyed him, taking another shot.  
"I thought I saw you with one of those girls. She was beautiful."

"Undeniably, it's just… Not what I'm here for." He admitted.

"Picky." She deadpanned with a third shot down her throat.

"No, I meant I do not seek the services of this uh…. establishment."

"Whorehouse." Deadpanned again. "You can say it, you know." She said with a laugh. "You'll bash someone's brains without batting an eye but will shy away from a no-no word." The woman continued, almost mockingly.

Kuai Liang did not respond to that, turning instead to the bartender.  
"Beer." He ordered.

"Oof. Weak." She called out.

"I can't differentiate the effects anyway." He admitted, taking a swig of the amber liquid. "Sometimes I think people exaggerate their reaction to alcohol. I've never been even close to dizzy. Is it because of our cryomancy?" He inquired.

"Something like that. It sobers us up before we can get drunk. But it IS possible." Frost confirmed. "And I don't know about you, but I'm ready to put in the diligent work." She joked, taking her huge bottle of tequila and a smaller thing of liquor and heading off towards one of the velvet, LED lit booths.

The man grabbed his own drink and followed her, settling down next to her on the soft couch.  
"Got something to forget?" He asked.

She exhaled heavily.  
"You have no idea…"

"For the longest time I thought it was just me, since my brother seems to be… affected… Just fine."

Frost chuckled, bringing the bottle of tequila straight to her lips, without the middleman that was the shot glass.  
"Guess he fakes it till he makes it."

"And do you?" He asked curiously, taking another swig of the beer. 

She eyed him up and down.  
"When I need to."

Kuai Liang didn't inquire further.

A comfortable silence settled between them.

Frost threw her head back, over the couch, letting out a long exhale.  
"Mmm… Kicking in. Finally." She wiped her face with her hand tiredly before looking at him. "I'm sorry, this is supposed to be a celebration and you're over here with the saddest drink I've ever seen I just-- Can I just--" The woman mumbled, picking up the unopened liquor bottle and a new shot glass, pouring him some of the stronger beverage.

Kuai Liang chuckled and reached for it, easily downing the drink.  
"Alright, alright, you won't let me live past my subpar drink choice. Cheers."

Frost smiled mischievously.  
"Oh ho hooo, local man lets loose, everybody, the impossible has happened." She nearly yelled.

He laughed at her overly enthusiastic reaction.  
"You're embarrassing."

"And you're booooring." She teased.

The two of them shared the stronger drink, settling back into the comfortable silence.

Some time passed and she turned to him.  
"I have to ask."

"Go ahead."

"So the pretty girl with the braid was obviously seeking your affection earlier… Why didn't you accept the services."

Kuai Liang exhaled and poured himself another shot of the liquor.  
"Because I almost gave another escort hypothermia one time…" He admitted.

Frost's eyes widened and she set up straighter.  
"You did what?"

"Actually, disregard that, it's not worth telling." He said sternly, downing the shot.

"No, no you can't just hit me with that information and then not tell." She insisted.

"...It was over a year ago. She had pursued me since the start of the night and well… I wanted to get it over with, more than anything."

Frost couldn't believe what she was hearing. 

And more importantly WHO she was hearing it from.

Absolutely ridiculous.

"And if things got really heated on her end… They got very VERY cold on mine." 

The female cryomancer covered her face with her hands, suppressing a laugh.  
"Oh no…"

"I didn't notice until she was visibly shaking."

"And how's she coping now?!"

"Well, she left this job soon after…"

Frost could no longer hold back her hysterical laughter.

He shook his head at her.  
"Laugh, laugh, of course you'll laugh."

"I'm s-sorry." 

"Hope that was entertaining enough to hear." He said bitterly.

"Extremely." She reassured. 

Frost's mind immediately flooded with dozens of jokes and mockeries to torment him with, about that incident but for the rest of the evening she decided to keep them to herself and to maintain the friendly environment.

Yeah… Yeah she'd allow herself that.

~~~

It was well beyond any reasonable hour for disciplined trained warriors to return to the Temple, but with the successful mission, the Grandmaster let it slide.

Besides, with more than half of the warriors being passed out, it would be hard to wreak discipline.

The only one who could pass off as "sober" was Kuai Liang but if it weren't for his cryomancy, he would have long been drunk too.

"Howww… The h-hell are you… Ssssober." Frost whined as Kuai Liang helped her up to the bedroom wing. "Youuu drank… more than me…" 

The man chuckled.  
"Now, I'm not an expert but I don't think ANYONE has ever drank more than that."

"Nnngh…" She pouted. "Ssscrew you."

"Very nice, thank you." He took the complaint in good fun before hoisting her up the first step of many, hoping she'd wobble up the rest with him as arm support. 

"L-Listen… There is no way… Nnnno way." She whispered drunkenly, implying the flight of stairs.

"You're not just gonna spend the night on the stairs."

"I'vvvve slept on wwwworse… Waaaay worse…" 

"Alright." He muttered.

Just when she was ready to be dropped on the hard staircase, she felt his one arm hook under her knees while the other stayed on her back. And next thing she knew she was being carried up the stairs by him.

"Mmm…" Frost made a small noise while she looked at him absently.

"Easy. Mind your head." He whispered as they passed the narrow door to the bedroom wing.

After what simultaneously felt like 4 hours and 4 milliseconds, they arrived by her bedroom door.

Kuai Liang pushed it open with his knee and carried her in, staring down at her content face.

When he placed her on the bed she mustered all the strength she didn't use to walk up the stairs to drag him down with her, almost getting him to fall, but he caught himself with his arms in the last second.

Tundra patted her arm, supportively.  
"Rest now. You deserve it."

He was about to step away when her gentle grip slid down his forearm and lingered on his palm, slender digits laced with his.  
"What now?" He asked with a smirk.

Frost cocked her head to the side, pouting thoughtfully.  
"...A beard would suit you."

He rolled his eyes.  
"Goodnight, Frost."

She whined loudly.  
"It's truuue! I've seen it mmmyself…"

Kuai Liang disregarded her drunken mumbling and threw one last glance at her at the door.  
"Sleep well." 

With that, he closed the door after himself, not there to hear her final drunken thought.  
"Mmm… Goodnight, Grandmaster."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLOOOOO I know I say this before pretty much every chapter but MY GOD. Beware the OOC. This chapter was basically some smut practice, I'm pretty new to it so don't judge too hard and soooo yeah! Enjoy! The new 2 or 3 might also be just some smut™ in different positions so yeah. It's literally 8 AM and I just finished this

Frost awoke in the middle of the night, hours after drunkenly passing out from the post-mission celebration.

The bubbly effect left in her brain from the alcohol had faded away, thanks to her cryomancy.

But she WAS left with a slight hangover.

Despite the dull headache, the woman's mind raced with thoughts of yesterday's events.

Everything from finally proving herself to a certain naysayer, to watching and assisting the clansmen unknowingly help build the cyber initiative…

...And to questioning pretty much EVERYTHING personal she knew of her former mentor--.. Former future ment-- She's not doing this again.

Frost ran a hand through her azure hair, absently staring up at her chamber ceiling.

She's had enough. She was tired.

You'd think she'd want nothing more than to finish this and return to her present.

And yet she… Didn't.

It simply wasn't fair. Tundra had done nothing to wrong her.

Grandmaster Sub-Zero was the architect of her pain.

Why should his past self suffer the consequences?

To think, Frost almost forgot that this wasn't just the fulfillment of her revenge fantasy. Kronika's success depends on getting rid of the man.

So the sooner she gets it done, the less time she'll have to overthink it.

With a shaky exhale she pulled herself up into a seated position.

Staring beyond the horizon that was the foot of her bed, she noticed the dim streaks of moonlight under her door. 

Why her body decided to wake itself up not even five hours into the exhausted slumber? Frost had no idea.

She could have blamed the uncomfortable material of the Lin Kuei bodysuit still clinging to her skin, suffocating it... had she not slept better in worse conditions.

She cursed under her breath and crawled off the bed, shuffling out into the partially open-air corridor. 

The moonlight flooding through the vast hallway was brighter than she expected, making her squint from suddenly being enveloped in it.

The woman sighed and walked over to the wooden ledges that separated the corridor from the grounds of the Lin Kuei palace.

She let her hand slide against the cold railing, as she walked along the length of it, absently looking out into the courtyard.

Frost noted the faint glisten of her pale skin, illuminated by the moon.

She shifted her gaze towards it, mesmerised by the beauty of the celestial body. 

The cryomancer mounted the wooden ledge, sitting down on the railing, one leg propped on it while the other dangled uselessly off the edge.

She leant her head against her knee while hugging it close, peering at the moon still. 

The unassuming orb in the sky that single-handedly kept the terrifying power of the Earth's ocean in check.

...But was left so unappreciated. So utterly alone. Doomed to rule the cold solitude of the night. 

So powerful. So strong… Yet so underestimated. 

Was that not just a little bit like… Her?--

"Restless night?" A question rang in the silent corridor.

Frost flinched, holding on to the pillar her back was against, before facing her company.  
"Will you stop sneaking up on me like that, Tundra?" She asked quietly. 

Kuai Liang chuckled, approaching the ledge and leaning his crossed arms against it.  
"Force of habit. What are you doing out at this hour?"

The woman side-eyed him, noting his less… how to put it… ready attire.

The absence of the azure tunic and matching belt, leaving him only in the leather undersuit, the tight hood that usually framed his face also missing. His jet black hair on display. 

The hair she was used to seeing faint grey streaks in. 

But was such a rich raven color when he was young like this. 

"Frost?"

She shook herself out of her trance, returning to his question. "The alcohol wore off… And here I am, up and awake."

He sighed in what seemed like relief.  
"Okay, good."

Frost grimaced at the foggy recollection of what she might have blurted out while under the influence. She covered her face with both hands and groaned.  
"Gods, that must have been a… sight to behold. What an embarrassment."

"You, more than anyone, deserved to let loose after that mission." 

She shrugged.  
"Just fulfilling my duties as a Lin Kuei. Nothing extraordinary."

Kuai Liang shook his head looking off into the courtyard for a long moment… Before fixing his gaze on her again.  
"You are extraordinary, Frost." 

Frost's heart skipped a beat from the sudden compliment. 

She wasn't used to admiration.  
"Yeah, right…" The woman mumbled, before playfully punching his arm. "Flatterer."

Tundra smiled.  
"I'm sorry, I just-- I feel like I don't show enough gratitude for… Everything you've done, everything you've told me. Believe it or not I haven't had many things to appreciate… And a select few have ever truly earned my appreciation."

Frost leaned her head back against the pillar, closing her eyes and laughing softly.  
"Well… Not many have appreciated me."

The man turned to look at her.  
"It works out then." He joked.

With a slow exhale she moved her legs back into the corridor, palms rested on either side of her.

She noticed the closeness of their hands and without thinking, brushed her fingers against his.

Kuai turned his palm over and took her hand in his, letting her lace her slender digits through his own.  
"I'm sorry if it's cold..." He apologized humorously. 

The two of them looked up at the same time, Frost's icy blue eyes meeting Kuai Liang's dark brown ones. 

"Kuai Liang…" She whispered, in a bit of a mesmerised state.

"Yes, Frost?" He replied, similarly affected.

"Do you trust me?"

He gave her hand a firm, reassuring squeeze.  
"Of course." 

Frost's heart ached. She truly thought this would be rewarding. Knowing that her betrayal would cause him the same kind of pain she felt before… Or rather would feel in the future.

Gods, this is a mess.

Regardless, his answer plunged her into reality. She pulled her hand out of his grasp so fast, one would think the temperature really did bother her.

Maybe you shouldn't… she thought. 

"I uh- I must go… We'll have to be up in a few hours anyway. You should try and get some sleep too." Frost advised. 

"You're right. I'll see you in the morning." He said, clearing his throat, trying his best to ignore her strange reaction.

And with that they parted ways. Left more than a little confused after the interaction.

~~~

Days passed. Things were looking up for Frost in this version of the Lin Kuei, with the doubts about her skill almost fully gone from everyone's minds.

Sadly, she had to put an end to it all.

And finish her true mission.

Now or never.

Every nook and cranny of the Lin Kuei forest memorized, Frost knew exactly where she'd lead the man to finish him off.

An honourable place. Beautiful even. But most importantly, somewhere the rest wouldn't find him.

Contrary to her original plans, Frost would make it quick and painless.

Ridiculous. She thought she'd savour this. Enjoy every second leading up to it.

But now it was nothing but an unpleasant chore she had to finish. 

Urgh, come on! This is what you've always wanted, right?! 

There is your sweet revenge, within hand's reach. 

Frost put on a brave face and marched out of the Lin Kuei temple. 

Though most of the clansmen trained inside during these hours, she would often find the young man alone by the training dummies and obstacle courses. 

And this fateful day was no different.

Kuai Liang saw her from afar and she had to plaster a smile, despite knowing what was coming. 

He greeted her with a small bow that she quickly reciprocated, before wiping the sweat from right above his brow.  
"Can I help you with anything?" He then asked unceremoniously.

She smirked.  
"Actually I… wanted to show you something."

He cocked his head curiously.  
"Oh?"

Frost chuckled, pulling his arm with both of hers.  
"Follow me..."

Kuai Liang reset the practice dummy to its original position before pursuing her.

She skipped her way over to the gate that separated the temple grounds from the rest of the forest.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Frost looked back at him expectantly.  
"Are you coming?" 

"Beyond the temple grounds?"

"Well, yes." She replied, easing the gate open with her backside.

Kuai Liang hesitated, looking back at the Lin Kuei palace.

"Oh come ooon. Live a little." She told him.

The man eyed her up and down before smirking and joining her by the gate.

The narrow opening leaving them closer than necessary.  
"Sometimes you're more trouble than you're worth..."

Frost bit her bottom lip to suppress the smile that formed at the memory of her mentor saying those exact words.  
"...So I've been told."

She pushed past him and out of the temple grounds. He followed suit, feeling an almost magnetic pull from her.

"Where to now?" He asked.

The pale cryomancer laughed.  
"You'll see."

They started their journey through the uneven flora of the forest that had just started awakening with the start of spring.

Though the forest floor was muddy and the air - humid, from all the melted snow, neither of them complained about it.

Enjoying the comfortable silence that had settled between them instead.

"Mind your step." She mumbled as they crossed a particular branch she had tripped over when crossing the forest alone. 

Earning an ironic laugh from him.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"I think I can handle a tree branch."

Frost rolled her eyes.  
"Alright, I'll just leave you unattended then." She joked, falling ahead.

And oh, did she fall ahead.

Constantly having to stop and wait for him to catch up.  
"Sure, sure take your time."

He stopped in front of her.  
"You sure complain a lot for someone who offered this escapade."

Frost moved over to him, face mere inches away from his, a challenging look in her eyes. "Well, I didn't think you were such a slowpoke." She spat before pushing past him again.

Kuai Liang raised a brow, amused by her accusation.  
"Slowpoke?"

"Mmmhm." She mumbled, falling ahead another 10 yards or so.

With a calculated lunge, jump and bounce off tree, he landed in front of her, with a nice backflip in the air too, to show off a little more than he usually would.  
"I'm no slowpoke."

Frost braced against shoulder and leapt over him, gracefully landing and continuing on her way.  
"I'm even less so."

"Frost…"

The woman turned back to him, blinking innocently.  
"What?"

"Don't turn everything into a competition."

"What's the fun in NOT doing that?" She asked teasingly.

"Because I don't even know where we're going."

"Well, aren't you a master pursuer?" She kept on teasing.

He smirked.  
"Who said I'll be the one pursuing?"

Frost clicked her tongue and they stare at each other for one long, charged minute… Before she took off without a word.

And he followed right after. They sprinted nose to nose, not once slipping over the countless potential floor hazards of the forest. 

Every once in a while she'd just whistle and change the trajectory of their race. And he didn't know if she was actually leading to what she wanted to show or if she simply tried everything in her power to fall ahead.

Kuai Liang got his answer soon, as they arrived to a huge, crashing waterfall over a small hill.

He stopped in his tracks, staring in awe at the majestic nature preserve.  
"How did you… find this?.."

Frost gave herself a second to catch her breath.  
"Long story… But this isn't the end, come on, keep up!" She ordered, running off again.

Tundra lingered for a moment longer, taking in the sight before continuing the chase.

They reached the opposite rocky edge and Frost carefully leapt off each layer of it, running into a cavern at the bottom.

He hurried to keep up with her, as both of them wanted to back up their earlier claims.

The inside of the cavern was one of the most beautiful sights either of them had ever seen… Not that it was difficult to beat, but still.

The cold waterfall continuously flooded into the cavern, freezing in layers over the round walls, creating a thick ice coating that made the cave seem like it was covered in mirrors.

Neither of them stopped to fully take it in, busy trying to outrun each other.

The cavern didn't go very deep though and not even a minute later she reached the dead end, stopping in her tracks before she could hit the reflective wall.

He didn't have quite the same control over his momentum as he crashed into her, tackling her to the frozen ground with a loud thud, knocking the air right out of her.

"Mmph!" 

Kuai Liang pushed himself up on his forearms, looking her over worriedly.  
"All good?"

She nodded reassuringly.

Both of them threw off their masks, in desperate need of air. Both exhaling heavy, frozen clouds.

A smile crept onto his face.

The same couldn't be said about Frost.

She stared up at him emptily, summoning an ice dagger just out of sight, holding it over his back.

This was it. The cryomancer had finally brought her mission to completion.

That last little push remained.

Frost gritted her teeth, ready to drive the dagger right into his back, a symbolic death.

But… Something in his gaze stopped her.

His look of pure… Genuine admiration.

And with a vivid sense of deja vu she realized that… It wasn't unlike the way his older self would look at her. 

Overwhelmed with emotion she couldn't quite define… or explain… She let the dagger dissipate before pressing her palm against the back of his neck and pulling him down hard.

His frozen lips colliding with her own.

Every single nerve ending in her body sparked to life, in a way that would give the scorching electricity of her old mechanical body a run for its money. In a way that could have made her think that she was dead before this… Dead all along. Because she had never felt this.

He wasted no time in kissing back. Cradled her face in his cold hands as a low, deep moan rumbled in his throat.

And Frost didn't know if the hypnotizing sound was echoing in the cavern, or just in her mind.

Frozen heat rose from her stomach to her chest as she melted into the searing kiss. 

It wasn't clear if she had dreamed this moment to life. But the feeling of his lips on hers felt so real and raw. 

More real than anything has felt to her since well… Ever.

The destabilised cold that radiated from both of them, though sobering, made them press against each other even more.

The two of them sat up, never breaking the seal of their lips.

Their limbs tangled together, he held her torso against his, the chaos of their quickened heartbeats syncing after a long moment. 

A quick, squeaky moan escaped her, to his surprise and amusement. He pulled her even closer, parting her lips with his own, driving his ice-laced tongue into her mouth.

One of Frost's hands grabbed at his jaw, while the other yanked the hood of his uniform down, the onyx strands of hair flying free and framing his forehead. 

After what seemed like several oxygen deprived minutes of the uninterrupted kiss, Kuai Liang pulled away with a shaky exhale, his forehead pressed against hers.

Still in her delirium, Frost played with a short lock of his black hair, twirling it between her fingers as she absently kissed his jaw. 

Reality once again hit her like an overcharged defibrillator and she hurried out of their embrace, crawling backwards and pressing against the cold cavern wall, breathing sporadically. 

Frost inhaled sharply and wiped at her forehead.  
"What have I done..." She whispered.

His face fell. He didn't think regret would kick in so quickly.  
"I--... I'm sorry I… I should have stopped it."

Both of them stood up at the same time and she stared at him in utter shock.

She really couldn't have failed this any worse than she did.

Tundra opened his mouth to say something but she just pushed past him and out of the cavern.

"Frost!" He shouted after her.

The woman ran back like her life depended on it, the cold emitting from her body strong enough to freeze anything within immediate proximity. Cutting short the life of some of the plants and small fauna that had just come back to it after a rough winter. 

What in the hell possessed her to… to…

Gods, just thinking about it was enough to send her into a frenzy.

Alright, Frost, breathe. 

You may have fucked up beyond rhyme or reason but the important thing was not fucking dying from your own powers going berserker on you. 

She leant against a nearby tree, trying to calm her breathing.

The woman ignored the fact that the tree had completely frozen over within seconds of her leaning against it, but noticing that would only make everything worse.

Thinking about him right now was a curse of its own category right now but she forced herself to remember some of the breathing exercises of her former mentor.

It took a few tries but she calmed down… At least enough to not turn this forest into a glacier. 

She walked the rest of the way back in a true walk of shame.

In absolute awe at the extent of her stupidity.

How is she going to come back from this?

~~~

Hours later, Frost had just walled herself up in her room again.

Just like good ol' days when she was too embarrassed to show herself after the humiliating encounter in the training hall.

That just seemed like such a long time ago now.

Now she was embarrassed for an entirely different reason.

She stood up, pacing around her room while biting her nails. 

Anyone could have looked at her and said, yeah. She was crazy.

The cryomancer felt claustrophobic in the small room… No, in her own skin.

She sighed shakily and removed the Lin Kuei branded tunic. 

Still. So much excess. Too much.

Next to go were the protective gauntlets on her forearms, she threw them aside with even less care.

The woman still felt like she was suffocating.

She unclasped the two buttons that held the bodysuit around her neck, before peeling the leather off her skin, hurriedly stepping out of the useless bunched up fabric.

Remaining only in her undershirt and panties.

Much better.

Frost crawled back onto her bad, turning around and plopping against the bed frame, hitting her head without a care.

That's what she deserves, anyway.

She groaned and threw her hand to her neck, anxious enough to fidget with Kronika's amulet.

Only to realise that it was gone!

She looked around on the floor, by the door, under the bed, check if it was in the bunched up uniform.

Nothing.

Brilliant! She lost an important artifact she couldn't go back without! Amazing!

The woman grabbed her pillow out of frustration and screamed into it loudly, everything just bubbling up and boiling over her frail psyche. 

Just why did she have to kiss him?

Why was that her utmost desire?

Why couldn't killing him remain her ultimate goal?

Everything was so foggy. Nothing felt real or certain.

Nothing but the memory of his lips on hers, nothing but his low baritone echoing all around.

She needed him. In every single way. And maybe after that she'll be able to function properly again.

Frost hurried out of her bedroom, not even caring if anyone saw her out and about pretty much in her birthday suit. 

It was dark anyway, and his room wasn't too far off.

She arrived at his door and knocked loudly, impatiently. 

The time between her first knock and him opening might as well have been an eternity. 

When he finally did and faced her, his expression was plagued with immense guilt. But only for a second until he noticed her lack of clothing. 

There was complete silence between them for a long second…

… Until she practically threw herself at him. 

Frost barely got herself against him before she felt his one hand move to catch her waist, while the other strained to push the door closed before carrying her into the room, his mouth pressed tight against her neck.

"It didn't close…" She warned in a whisper, her eyes glazed over.

He growled impatiently, begrudgingly letting go of her to make sure the door is closed and locked.

They crossed the distance between each other once again, leaving nothing, not an inch. 

He returned his attention to her neck, kissing and sucking on the cold, soft flesh.  
His kisses moved upwards, to her jaw and along it to her earlobe.  
"Is there nothing you want to say to me?"

Frost's hands sunk into the fabric of his tunic, dragging it down while simultaneously using it as leverage.  
"I have no idea what you mean…" She whispered.

Kuai Liang turned her head to face him, his mouth hovering over hers, barely touching.  
"Why run away if you were going to come here?"

She furrowed her brows, pressing a forceful kiss against his lips.  
"I do not owe you an explanation." 

The man pulled away completely, an act that was met with a soft whimper of protest.

He walked over to his bed, grabbing something off it, a glinting object. Returning to her, he presented her with Kronika's amulet.  
"I think this is yours."

Her eyes widened but she sighed in relief, taking the necklace from him.  
"Thank you…"

As her attention shifted back to him, she threw the amulet aside with complete indifference, pulling him in and claiming his mouth again. The kiss was everything but gentle, unlike the small exchange from before. Scorching and possessive on her end. 

Frost clawed at his chest, desperate to get rid of the tunic. Her hands moved lower, undoing the similarly colored belt first, , easily sliding the blue fabric down his broad, freckled shoulders afterwards.

His hands moved to push her undershirt up and over her head but before he could do so, she pushed him down on his bed.  
"Oomph--!" 

There was a hitch in his throat as she climbed on top of him, settling down just above his hips.

Kuai Liang didn't attempt to take back control of the situation and simply reached his hands out to her lovingly.

She dropped her cold palms into his, lacing their fingers together… Staying like that for a long moment. 

The woman pulled her hands out of his grasp slowly, moving them down to work on removing his undersuit.

Yanking the fabric further and further down, exposing more and more of his muscular chest, she leaned down and kissed along his collarbone, earning another mesmerising moan from him.

She didn't expect him to be vocal at all. Considering you'd have to beat any sort of words out of his older self.

Frost exhaled shakily and ran her hands down his toned abdomen, feeling his muscles ripple under her touch.

"You are perfection…" He whispered.

Frost stopped any and all movement.

Simply staring at him as he said that.

As if everything that ever went wrong suddenly righted itself as she heard THAT… Coming from HIM.

All she ever… fucking wanted.

She leaned down enough for their foreheads to press together.  
"Say that again…" 

He smirked and turned her face to kiss her but she escaped his grasp.  
"No. Say it. Please." She begged, desperate to hear the absolute praise from him, only from him. 

Kuai Liang looked deep into her eyes, gently cupping her face.  
"You're perfect, Frost."

She moaned, embarrassed to admit that she could have finished just from hearing him say that.

She backed away, bracing her knees on either side of him.

With one, swift motion she pulled her undershirt over her head, exposing her breasts. 

His freezing hand moved from her abdomen up to her ample pair, squeezing one in his cold hand to the point of leaving white impressions on it.

With his bodysuit now completely off, Frost gently stroked his length over his undergarments.

It had been a while since she had indulged in a similar activity… But she was sure she could take him.

His girth was impressive from what she could tell by rubbing him through his underwear.

Kuai Liang's reaction amused her. His eyes rolled back into his skull and he sunk into the bed, comfortably.

She shifted to be at level with his hips. Hooking her index fingers into the waistband of his underwear, she pulled it down impatiently, his erection springing free, nearly hitting her lower abdomen.

The skin to skin contact introduced a throbbing in her lower belly… A very pleasant one… But one that needed to be taken care of and fast.

She grabbed onto his broad shoulders, and could feel him gently grab her wrists as she lifted herself up with her knees, only to settle on the underside of his member, grinding her still clothed womanhood against it.

A pleasured hiss escaped his lips.  
"Frost--" 

His hands shifted to the small of her back, kneading the delicate flesh.

Every small touch, every quick brush of his icy fingers, paradoxically, made her feel like she was on fire.

She arched her back, away from his touch, even though she was desperate for more.

Frost needed the most he could give her. She wanted to feel every inch of his cock inside of her.

She moved the fabric of her underwear aside, not even bothering to take it off.  
Lifting herself up enough to let his erection stand upright, she threw him a tired glance.

That look of pure adoration was still there as he drew shapes over her abdomen with his thumb.

And that look was all she needed to evaporate any tiny hints of doubt she had over all of this.

Circling her fingers against the tip of his length, she brought her hips forward, sliding him under herself with ease.

Slowly she pushed against him, taking him inch by inch, until he was completely sheathed inside of her. 

Frost let out a mix of a cry and a moan, leaning against his shoulders, eyes shut tight, refusing to move.

Kuai Liang turned his head tiredly and kissed her palm reassuringly.

She could still barely move, so he decided to take the matters into his own hands.

He grabbed the back of her thighs, guiding her into a more comfortable position on his length.

The blue haired woman moaned softly, rolling her hips, slowly easing her movements.

He decided to help her… or rather, himself, with a quick thrust into her.

She gasped and arched her back.

His eyes widened.  
"Too much?"

She shook her head.  
"No… N-no, just right. Just what I needed."

The throbbing in her stomach hit her like constant heart attacks as she gathered the strength to ride him. 

She looked down at him and saw that his eyes were glued almost exclusively on her breasts, that bounced with each upward move of her body.

Frost chuckled and leaned down enough for him to comfortably reach them.

She hummed in pleasure, feeling his cool mouth catch onto one of her breasts, his tongue running itself against the sensitive nub in the middle, earning another moan from her. 

He moved his head to the space between her breasts, gently shaking his head.

She laughed and grabbed a fistful of his raven hair.  
"You're a real fan of them, aren't you…" She muttered.

He responded by squeezing both mounds of flesh in each hand with a loud moan.

Getting used to how he filled her, Frost added a really aggressive roll to her hips, almost forcing him to hit the right bundle of nerves against her walls.

Kuai Liang flinched and hissed in pain, grabbing her hip to change her position.

She laughed weakly.  
"Sorry…"

The man lifted himself up and smashed their lips together for another passionate kiss, taking that opportunity to pull her down to his level, thrusting into her at a quicker pace while she moaned in his ear tiredly.

Body to body, both of them forgot about everything else, the only thing they could focus on being the lewd harmony of moans that filled his room.

The air around them glistened with snowflakes as both their bodies emitted frozen clouds and pretty much changed the climate of the room.

He felt her shudder in his touch and stopped suddenly, pulling away and looking at her worriedly.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Nothing I just… I thought… The cold…"

"Hey… Your powers couldn't hurt me… See, I just feel you…" She explained, running her hand down his torso.

He nodded, pressing yet another kiss to her lips as he kept going with his frenzied thrusts.

Kuai Liang's hands once again moved down her back, over the thickest parts of her thighs, then back up again, settling on her tight glutes.

With his steady grip he almost lifted her off and on his length, again and again until he felt himself nearing climax.  
"F-Frost… I-- I don't think I--"

There was a loud half-gasp from both of them as Kuai Liang finished inside of her, their combined mess dripping out all around.

But he kept going, seeking her completion. Loud, raspy, high-pitched moans escaped her with each slick thrust, bringing her closer to the edge until she was finally pushed over it, a frozen cloud of air shooting out of her lungs with her final pleasured scream.

They stayed in that arched position for a few seconds longer before Frost slumped off him, both of them heavy breathing messes.

Silence filled the room at last, though it didn't last more than a few minutes. 

"S-so that's what it's supposed to feel like…" He whispered.

Earning a tired chuckle from her.

They laid like that for around twenty more minutes before he shifted to his side, looking at her from above.

Frost smirked at him and sat up, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

Refusing to pull away, Kuai Liang kept his face close, their noses almost touching.

She cleared her throat.  
"I should go."

He sighed, knowing well that she was right.  
"Yes…"

The woman drew circles over his shoulder.  
"Unless… You'd want me to stay."

Tundra sighed and connected their lips in a deep, meaningful kiss again.

He then tried to pull away but she grabbed onto his bottom lip with her teeth gently, growling teasingly before letting go.  
"I think your answer is clear…"

He slumped back down on the bed, tiredly.  
"You really should go."

She sighed.  
"You're right, you're right."

Frost peeled herself off the bed, fixing her underwear that she never ended up taking off, then walked over to where they discarded her undershirt, throwing that on as well. All the while being stared at by him.

She chuckled.  
"What?"

Without saying anything he leant over the bed and took her hand, pressing several kisses to her freezing, whitened knuckles.

The female cryomancer reluctantly stepped away from him, a smile still on her face.  
"I'll see you later…" She whispered.

"Of course."

With that, she left his room and wobbled back into her own room, her core admittedly hurting after that… workout. 

Closing the door to her own bedroom… she slid down it, right onto the floor.

All of a sudden she felt like a weak-willed failure that gave in to something she should have resisted.

This. Is. Bad.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooo I know I already explained the reason for my absence but I once again apologize for the late updates I'm very busy these days but I still try to make time for these fics!
> 
> Smut fest continues in this chapter so a quick warning for that as well as, we been knew, major OOC, read at your own risk!!

Several days passed since Frost and Tundra's passionate night. Which, additionally, happened to be their last interaction as of that moment. 

Kuai Liang found himself being avoided by the blue haired woman. 

He spared no concern or surprise. After all, what happened between them was beyond any boundaries that had been set for centuries for Lin Kuei warriors. 

Even friendly relationships were discouraged. Deemed a weakness. Let alone… Whatever they did.

As positive as Kuai Liang was that they both needed space, he could shamefully admit that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about the hot-headed vixen since that night.

Her lewd moans were on a constant loop in his mind. He wouldn't… Mind hearing them again.

But the man knew he shouldn't view the night as anything more than a slip up on both of their behalves. 

For now, he'll just have to focus on training to keep his mind off of it.

~~~

Some time past dawn and the training hall was filled with members of the Lin Kuei, eager to spar, train solo or meditate.

Tundra was occupied with the first activity. The patterns of his opponent long memorized, sparring was always more of a warm-up to him than anything.

Block, jab, block again, sweep.

Nothing spectacular in the way they trained.

He noticed the heavy doors of the training hall open in his peripheral vision and the recognisable blue head of hair stole his attention.

He tried to calm his heavy breathing as their eyes met, but quite the opposite happened as a quickened heartbeat joined it.

Kuai Liang wasn't sure what happened first, Frost averting her gaze or him being knocked down with a punch straight in the face by his sparring partner.

He collapsed on the training mat with a loud thud, but Smoke reached his hand out to help him back up before he could even recover. 

"Got a good one in." Kuai commanded, grabbing his friend's arm and pushing himself up.

Tomas didn't respond with anything, just sort of tried to catch Tundra's wandering gaze.  
"You seem… Out of your element… Are you alright?" 

"Of course. Why would I not be?"

"You're out of it, Tundra. Since the spar started. Something's been distracting you."  
His friend expressed concern. 

Kuai Liang shook his head no dismissively, and pushed past Smoke, ready to put the Lin Kuei branded tunic he had discarded for the spar back on. 

"Or… Someone." Tomas clarified.

The brunette stayed quiet, didn't even look in his friend's direction.

But the silence only solidified Vrbada's suspicions.  
"It's about the woman, isn't it?"

More silence.

"Kuai Liang. We all agreed we'd be wary."

"And I'm following that agreement." He reassured coldly.

"Are you? You're on friendly terms to say the least."

"And if I was? Smoke, she has long proven her worthiness. Shunning her is pointless."

"We don't know anything about her. Or why she's here."

"She's a Lin Kuei. That's all we need to know."

Smoke sighed.  
"Perhaps you're right. To my dismay, I've overheard some… detailed… descriptions of what some of our peers would want to do to her. Making sure you're not among their ranks."

Tundra gritted his teeth at the thought. It angered him for several reasons.

Frost did not deserve the disrespect… And none of those sorry excuses for warriors who had the nerve to discuss her in such a way would even get close to what they desired, he was sure. 

At least… He wanted to be sure.

He... didn't expect to be so worked up over that.

Kuai Liang just smiled at his friend.  
"You don't have to worry about that." 

Tomas sighed a sigh of relief and nodded, before leaving Kuai's side. 

The latter swallowed anxiously, shaking his head and tying the Lin Kuei belt around his waist.

When he turned back around he came face to face with the woman who's been occupying his mind the past few days. 

"Frost--" He was about to greet her with his usual polite bow when she interrupted him. 

"You better not have peeped a word of what happened between me and you."

His eyes widened. That was a very strange thing to assume.  
"Why would I… Ever even consider disclosing that."

"I have no idea." She dismissed. "To boast." 

"Frost I would ne--"

"Look." She started shakily, crossing her arms, clearly in distress. "You and I both know that shouldn't have happened."

Despite that being an objective truth he did realize, it was still… unpleasant to hear. 

But he heard her out.

"I don't know what had come over me to even think that was acceptable but I… Do me a favor… Do BOTH of us a favor and forget that ever happened." She said angrily.

"Frost…" 

The woman closed her eyes in frustration.   
"No, this is the part where you nod your head, I nod mine back and we move on from that mistake." 

Mistake.

That's the word he refused to use to describe what had happened. He didn't consider it one.

It… wasn't one.

She punched his arm lightly.  
"Do we understand each other?"

Kuai Liang cleared his throat.  
"Clearly."

Frost let out a heavy exhale.  
"Good."

She left without another word.

To call that outburst sudden and quick would be an understatement.

But at the same time Tundra couldn't possibly blame her. They're assassins. And the last thing assassins need are strings and attachments like that.

Quitting while they were ahead seemed like their only choice, on the surface. 

He'll honor her wishes.

~~~

Hours later, every Lin Kuei apprentice had gathered in the dining hall. It was a rare occasion for the Grandmaster to gather everyone to dine together. They weren't a very formal clan. Nonetheless, it happened from time to time.

And it was quite the rude awakening for Frost as she remembered that there were literal children in this clan.

Since birth, infancy, toddlerhood, it didn't matter. They were abducted and trained to be killing machines… Literally, if she counted the cyber initiative.

She didn't see anyone younger than in their mid teens. It seems it had been some time since the clan had gotten fresh meat. 

The young ones were barely out and about too. Most likely on 24/7 brainwashing and isolation to eradicate any traces of human empathy.

Effective? Yes. Ethical? Who cared?

Well… Not a 100% effective, she thought, as she spotted Kuai Liang in the crowd.

Fuck, he's coming her way.

Due to how densely populated the area was currently, the two of them were awkwardly pushed against each other as he passed her by

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"S'fine."

His tone was colder than usual.

"Are you doing alright?" She asked quietly.

"More than… Are you?" 

Frost crossed her arms, sensing a hint of challenge in his question.  
"Perfectly fine."

He chuckled.  
"Do you… Have an issue with me doing alright?"

"Not at all." Frost reassured. "It's a relief knowing you aren't bothered by the decision to forget about what happened." She continued, rubbing it in.

Despite how crowded the area was, the two of them were in a separate, tense bubble no one would be able to persevere through. 

Frost cocked her head.  
"But you were hoping it would happen again, weren't you?" She asked in a whisper.

Kuai Liang raised a brow.

What was this charade?

"I didn't-- Hope for anything, I gave you my word and I'll honour it. Nothing happened…" He looked around cautiously. "...That night."

"I'm glad we're in agreement."

He nodded respectfully and was about to push past her when she added something through a smirk.

"Besides… There's no way you would have been able to handle... An escalation." 

He turned back around just enough to look her in the eye.

"If that remark is your twisted way of testing my dedication to keeping my word then…"

"Then what?" She slid her arm out of his grasp.

The Grandmaster tapped his glass with a utensil, ushering the crowd of the Lin Kuei warriors to the grand table that had been set up in the dining hall.

They both took the opportunity to avoid that confrontation, squeezing into seats opposite one another at the long table.

Kuai Liang ended up next to his brother, who eyed him weirdly as the former was visibly agitated.

The meal was just as quiet as any, so the meaning of moving the furniture to create this illusion of an important dinner was lost on her.

Frost threw a glance across the table as she ate. 

His gaze was fixed on the Grandmaster. Though the former seldom broke the silence of the dining hall.

Couldn't help but make Frost think he was trying to think of anything but their previous interaction.

She'll admit. Her sudden backtrack surprised her too. 

But seeing him squirm and bend his words under her own was as much fun as she could get out of this it seems.

Frost had a choice. To push him further… Or leave it be.

One part of her brain reasoned - "You already fucked him, it's time to pull the brakes."

The other countered - "You already fucked him, drive the knife to the bone, make him break the word he's so sure he'll keep." 

What could be more ironic than making him lose control? 

She thought, she couldn't possibly indulge in what the second part of her mind suggested… Right?

Her face was as stoic as ever… But her legs shifted under the table.

Frost snaked her leg forward and around Kuai Liang's, her calf touching his.

The sudden contact made him choke on his food, momentarily catching the attention of the warriors around them. But quickly dismissed.

Tundra glared at her warningly. Though, her indifferent expression didn't budge, not at all. One could have sworn she was none the wiser about why she earned his strict glance. 

A question of his from THAT NIGHT arose again.

"Why run away if you were going to come to me?"

And now… Why ask to pretend it didn't happen if she was going to… to… to do whatever it is she was doing. 

Now he could feel her raising her leg, basically brushing it against his thigh.

He snuck his hand under the table giving her own thigh a warning, freezing squeeze. Nothing strong enough to harm her, but to get the message across.

Frost's stoic expression gave away for just a second as she discarded the icy grasp. 

With a sigh of relief, he released her, removing his hand from under the table and focusing on his meal again.

But something about her determined expression told him she wasn't going to give up so easily.

The woman moved abruptly, with way less care than before, her knee pretty much touching his crotch.

He jerked his leg away, his own knee hitting under the table, fully catching the attention of anyone close enough to feel the table shake. 

Bi Han eyed his brother with a raised brow.  
"What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing… Low table." Kuai Liang came up with the pathetic excuse.

He stared at Frost intensely. She could have sworn the corners of his eyes glowed a faint white. 

But she stared right back at him, trying to match his intensity, wiping the corner of her mouth with her thumb to hide her devilish smirk.

~~~

The dinner was over within a short notice and Frost was, let's just say, second guessing her behaviour.

She didn't know what the man's reaction to her mischief would be, if it would have been worth the trouble at all.

The woman didn't actively seek it either, slipping out of the dining hall at the earliest opportunity.

The whole way up to the bedroom wing she pretended she couldn't hear the second pair of footsteps echoing behind her.

Frost stopped in her tracks, right by her door.  
"A master of stealth and yet I can hear you loud and clear." She sassed, turning to lean against her door. "Skill's gotten rusty?"

But he was pretty much nose to nose with her. 

Huh, maybe she didn't realize just how close he had snuck up.

"What is your problem?" He whispered.

The blue haired woman clicked her tongue and made her way into her room, closely followed by him.  
"Like you said, I was testing your dedication to keeping your word."

"By humiliating me?"

"Way to exaggerate."

"So you see nothing humiliating about--" He pressed her against the nearest wall, kicked her legs apart and pressed his thigh between hers. "--This?"

"When it's this obvious…" Frost whispered, sparing no reaction to their proximity.

Another great opportunity to stab him and be done with it… She's had a lot of those so far.

And she'll disregard it like all previous ones.

Kuai Liang clicked his tongue.  
"I know exactly what this was."

She rolled her eyes "Enlighten me."

"It was a shallow refusal of what you really wanted. For what happened that night to happen again. Your demand to forget it ever did was but a thin sheet of ice that, if broken by me, would give you the empty sentiment that, yes, you were right. I couldn't handle the escalation. And that giving in was nothing but a favor on your end. Not something you desired all along." 

Frost smirked.  
"...Well it worked, didn't it?"

They eyed each other for a second longer before Kuai Liang grabbed a fistful of her azure hair and yanked her forward, pressing his frozen lips against her own in a passionate yet frustrated kiss.

The woman smiled against it, cupping his face in her palms as she pulled him down to her height. Softly probing his lips with her tongue before plunging it into his mouth, feeling the biting cold that enveloped his lungs. 

Only amplified with the low moan that rang in his throat. 

They reluctantly broke the kiss for air and while Frost focused on catching her breath, Kuai Liang didn't halt, moving on to kiss at her jaw and neck, mesmerized by the softness of her pale skin against his lips. 

His half-lidded eyes met hers again… And something clicked as he grabbed her hips... Hard... Ushering her to wrap her legs around him as he raised her up against the wall.

With a quick hop, she caught his waist with her legs, just in time for him to press her against the wall painfully, knocking the air out of her.

"How very disciplined of you…" She pointed out, sarcastically.

Kuai Liang laughed.  
"You'll lecture ME on discipline."

"Please, I'll discipline you myself if I have to." She threatened.

He smashed his lips against hers once again, asserting dominance with the overwhelming kiss that almost made her lose grip on his waist.  
"Not this time, I'm afraid." Kuai whispered, before carrying her over to the bed, dropping her on it without a care before getting on top.

Frost let him roam wherever he could reach with his kisses. Her eyes glazed over, mouth agape, her plump lips almost paler than the rest of her blushing face.  
"Kuai Liang…" She moaned, as he targeted the right spot on her neck. 

Grabbing his jaw, she made him face her again and connected their lips for yet another scorching kiss.

At last, she could feel his hands roam further… Down to the belt with the Lin Kuei emblem on it, the article that pretty much kept the rest of the uniform in place.

Kuai Liang didn't break the kiss in order to perform the action of undoing the belt, having done it countless times before.

Frost clawed at his broad shoulders in the meantime.

With a quick, unexpected growl - He ceased. Pulled away and talked against the freshly broken kiss.  
"Come to think of it… I can see the novelty of making it seem like this is a favor."

"What are you-..."

Kuai Liang got off of her, fixing his dishevelled tunic.   
"Don't get me started on the disciplinary benefits." 

She sat up in a panic.  
"Kuai Liang--."

"And I'll even get to keep my word." He added, crossing his arms.

Frost growled and pushed herself up on her knees on the bed, the tunic barely holding on to her shoulders without the belt to keep it steady.   
"Oh, so THAT'S what this is about?"

"You have a serious lack of discipline."

"Not the first time you've told me this--." She blurted out.

He furrowed his brows, confused.

"I mean-- Not the first time I've heard that… A-and so what? You'll just neglect what you want to do?"

He shrugged.  
"Didn't stop YOU before."

Frost seethed, but did not answer.

Kuai Liang just smiled and walked off towards the door. 

Only for the knob and its hinge to be completely frozen over.

He closed his eyes in mock frustration, standing like that for a good second before turning back to her.

The tunic long discarded and the leather bodysuit bunched up around her waist, leaving her topless.

She laid back down, never breaking their tense, hungry eye contact, slowly spreading her legs apart.

Tundra walked back over to her, just as casually as he left.

Getting rid of his own uniform, eager to get on top of her again.

Frost pushed him away with her leg, playfully, taking a minute to admire his physique while he impatiently caressed her calf and inner thigh through the leather of the bodysuit

She gave in soon enough and let him on, before kissing him again, but with exaggerated gentleness this time, tracing his cheek with a featherlight touch. 

Kuai Liang slid lower, waist at level with her hips as he took the time to tend to perhaps his favorite part of her. 

He palmed one breast roughly, kneading the soft pillow, while the other mound of flesh was being worked over with his mouth. 

Frost ran a hand through her own hair, panting softly, really getting into the rhythm of his ministrations when he sharply let go of her breast, earning a dissatisfied whimper from her.

The man ignored it, yanking the bottom half of the Lin Kuei bodysuit off her toned legs. He then forced her into a seated position before turning her around so that her back was to his chest. 

And she could practically feel his heartbeat on the back of her neck.

Frost reached her hand back and grabbed his hair, turning his face at an angle comfortable enough to kiss him in.

Kuai Liang turned her neck as far as it could go too, to deepen the kiss as he gently thrusted his erect length between her thighs. She slowly slid her hand down her abdomen, to her mound and finally to where his member rubbed against her womanhood. 

Pearls of precum glistened on his tip and she spread it down the underside of his cock, before giving it two slow strokes.

He moaned and bit her shoulder, tracing circles with his tongue, sure to leave a mark, she thought to herself..

Frost braced against her knees and leant her weight on his hips, shifting to let his member slide into her. She groaned and spread herself with two fingers, easing his entry.

Kuai Liang's hands moved to the back of her thighs, easily lifting her on and off his cock.

He didn't want to rush picking up the speed… But she did, apparently.  
"Harder~!" She demanded.

His hands moved up as he started lifting her up with his forearms now, easily picking up speed.

The female cryomancer grabbed the back of his head.  
"Fuck! Just like that~" She moaned out, adding a roll to her hips.

One of his hands moved up to snake around her neck, squeezing hard, harder still with each thrust.

Her moans got louder, and intensified with every bounce, until they became too loud for comfort.

Kuai Liang pushed her azure head down against the mattress, her bottom half lifted up in the air as he kept thrusting at a frenzied rhythm, while the fabric stifled her pleasured moans, freezing solid in her tight grasp.  
"Ah~ Huh~!"

He threw his head back from the pleasure, a frozen cloud bursting from his lungs. 

Tundra stumbled to get one hand between her legs, feeling just how warm she was at her core, despite the fact that they were making it snow in the room.

With the help of his clitoral stimulation, Frost felt her knees buckle and the tight knot in her lower abdomen come undone.

"Kuai Liang!" She screamed out his name, arching her back at an unnatural angle as the orgasm washed over her.

He kept thrusting through her spasms and went on even as she dropped like dead weight on the frozen sheets.

Kuai pulled out, effortlessly turning her on her back despite his own exhaustion and thrusted back in, seeking his completion while being face to face with her.

He dipped his face into the curve of her neck as she pulled him closer tiredly. 

His deep baritone moans drove her crazy as they rang right next to her ear, turning her on enough to make her think she could go again.

Suddenly his movements slowed, ceasing entirely soon after he finished, their combined mess spilling from between their legs. 

Kuai Liang peeled himself off her, kissing her once more tiredly.

Frost pushed him away gently, both of them staring up at the ceiling. Their heavy breaths - The only sounds in the frozen room.

~~~

Yet again, after the session of their mind-blowing sex, Frost found herself wracked with guilt.

Guilty mostly at the fact that she DID NOT feel guilty. And she wasn't sure how many more times they'd have to do this for her to be completely okay with it.

Not that she's… willing to test it.

Frost slowly turned to look at him and his gaze was focused on her already.

She chuckled, wiping her face with both of her hands.  
"Don't stare at me." 

Kuai Liang sat up, running a hand through his hair.  
"You're incredible." 

She laughed mockingly.  
"Yeah, right."

The woman sat up as well, diligently covering her breasts with the blanket as if they weren't in his mouth just then.  
"It's your turn to… Get dressed and leave pretending like what just happened is normal." She mumbled. 

He gave her a quick fleeting kiss.  
"It is normal."

Frost snort-laughed.  
"Keep telling yourself that." She plopped back down in the bed, sighing shakily, still coming down from the high of her climax.

Tundra slid out of the bed, taking his time to get his uniform back on.

And she took the time to admire him as he did so.

The cryomancer gulped heavily.  
"Kuai Liang, I need to tell you something."

He got the hood of the uniform back on as he turned to her again.  
"What is it?"

"I… I'm not--" She sighed. "You know what, i-it can wait."

"Are you sure?" He asked, concerned.

"Yeah." Frost smiled sweetly. "I'll see you later."

"Won't avoid me again?"

"Not this time, I'm afraid." She joked.

He laughed and walked backwards towards the door of her room, keeping his eyes on her for as long as he could.  
"Goodnight, Frost."

"... Goodnight."

And with the short squeak of the door closing after him. Frost found herself alone again. 

Confronted with the seriousness of her situation.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave Kudos and a comment if you'd like :)


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